Abortion glossary :: Foetus (and Fetus)
A foetus, which is intra-uterine, is what an embryo is referred to after it has reached a certain stage of organ development (in human beings this is usually approximately eight weeks after conception) before eventually becoming a neonatal human being (a.k.a., a baby).
Etymology
The word "foetus" was originally introduced into the Latin language in 620 CE by Saint Isidore of Seville, although more correctly it was written as "fētus" (there exists some controversy about which of these two forms is correcct).
The word "foetus" first appeared in English in 1594 and was derived directly from Latin. The spelling of "foetus" remained prominent throughout the British Commonwealth until the 20th Century when some people in the USA began using the shorter "fetus" variant. Today, both spellings are used synonymously, although the traditional spelling of "foetus" is more commonly used in Europe, Australia, and Canada.
See also