noun
embryo
EM-bree-oh/ˈembriəʊ/
A living organism in its earliest stage of development.
A tiny chick embryo develops on the yolk inside the egg.
Etymology
The Greek elements describe something growing or swelling within. Their combination named a young animal or the fruit of the womb, connecting inward growth with an organism's earliest development.
In context
a placental is a mammal in which the complete embryo development happens inside the mother
More examples
- The ultrasound shows an embryo inside the uterus.
- Each bean seed contains an embryo that can grow into a plant.
- The project is still in embryo, with few details settled.
Forms
embryo · embryos
embryonic adjective — In an early stage of development.