feto- Also feti- and foeto-.
The fetus.
[Latin fetus, pregnancy, childbirth, offspring.]
A fetoprotein is an antigen that occurs naturally in fetuses, but in adults only as a result of certain diseases; feticide (Latin -cida, from caedere, kill) is destruction or abortion of a fetus; something fetotoxic is poisonous to a fetus; fetoscopy is the direct observation of the uterus and fetus using a fibre-optic instrument; fetology is the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of the fetus. Spellings in foeto- (foetus, foeticide) are now found only in non-technical contexts in Britain.
Visit Michael Quinion’s World Wide Words site for 2000+ articles on English!
Copyright © Michael Quinion 2008–. All rights reserved. Page last updated 23 September 2008.
Your comments and suggestions on the site are very welcome.