Embryo
/ˈɛm.bri.oʊ/noun
An unborn or early developing organism before birth or hatching.
Did you know?The word comes from Greek *embryon*, originally meaning the unborn young inside the womb, and it entered English through Latin and French as a strictly biological term, not a mystical one.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bhrēu-
“to swell, bubble up, or ferment”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ἔμβρυον (émbryon)
“the unborn young; a fetus or embryo”
Late Latin
Latin
embryo
“an unborn child or fetus”
Old French
Old French
embryon
“an embryo; a developing offspring”
16th Century
English
embryo
“an unborn or undeveloped organism”
Modern English
English
embryo
“an early developing organism before birth or hatching”