embryo

1 of 2

noun

em·​bryo ˈem-brē-ˌō How to pronounce embryo (audio)
plural embryos
1
a
: an animal in the early stages of growth and differentiation that are characterized by cleavage, the laying down of fundamental tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems
especially : the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception
b
archaic : a vertebrate at any stage of development prior to birth or hatching
2
: the young sporophyte of a seed plant usually comprising a rudimentary plant with plumule, radicle, and cotyledons
3
a
: something as yet undeveloped
b
: a beginning or undeveloped state of something
productions seen in embryo during their out-of-town tryout period—Henry Hewes

embryo-

2 of 2

combining form

: embryo
embryogeny

Examples of embryo in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
In this case, the surrogate, who was not named, had the embryo transplant three months earlier but had not shown any initial signs of pregnancy, according to a post on social media platform Weibo by Shangguan Zhengyi, who tracks surrogacy cases around the country. —Reuters, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024 The genetic material will then be transferred to a dunnart embryo and the first thylacine can be brought back to life. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 Gliding tree frog embryos suck at escaping from egg-eating snakes. —Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024 In Alabama, for example, a State Supreme Court ruling deemed that frozen embryos can be considered children under the law, which caused multiple clinics and providers to pause IVF services due to fear of legal liability. —Katie Camero, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for embryo 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English embrioun "embryo, fetus," borrowed from Medieval Latin embrion-, embrio, embryo, borrowed from Greek émbryon "newborn creature (in reference to a lamb), young, embryo or fetus," from em- em- + -bryon, derivative of bry-, stem of brýein "to swell with an abundance of growth, bloom, abound," of obscure origin

Note: In Medieval Latin the Greek neuter noun émbryon was reanalyzed as the base of Latin nasal stems (such as sermōn-, sermō "speech"), resulting in the nominative singular form embryo, which was borrowed into English. The stem embryon- was employed in New Latin derivatives, the sources of embryonal and embryonic. Compare bryo-.

Combining form

Late Latin, from Greek, from embryon

First Known Use

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Time Traveler
The first known use of embryo was in 1548

Phrases Containing embryo

Dictionary Entries Near embryo

embry-

embryo

embryo-

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Embryo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryo. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

embryo

noun
em·​bryo ˈem-brē-ˌō How to pronounce embryo (audio)
plural embryos
1
: an animal in the early stages of development that are marked by cleavage, the laying down of the basic tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems compare fetus
2
: a tiny young plant within a seed
3
: a beginning or undeveloped stage
—used especially in the phrase in embryo

Medical Definition

embryo

noun
em·​bryo ˈem-brē-ˌō How to pronounce embryo (audio)
plural embryos
1
archaic : a vertebrate at any stage of development prior to birth or hatching
2
: an animal in the early stages of growth and differentiation that are characterized by cleavage, the laying down of fundamental tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems
especially : the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception compare fetus

More from Merriam-Webster on embryo

Nglish: Translation of embryo for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of embryo for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about embryo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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