/
ˈɛmbrɪəʊ/
n.
(pl. embryos)
- an unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development, especially an unborn human in the first eight weeks from conception. Compare with fetus.
- Botany the part of a seed which develops into a new plant.
Phrase
- in embryo
at a rudimentary stage.
Derivative
- embryonal
/ˈɛmbrɪən(ə)l/
adj.
Etymology
ME: via late L. from Gk embruon ‘fetus’, from em- ‘into’ + bruein ‘grow’.