Words / B2

EMBR-ee-oh/ˈembriəʊ/

An embryo is an animal or plant in the earliest stage of development before birth or hatching: a human embryo; plant embryos in seeds. Foetus is a later mammalian stage in many biology courses; seed is the plant package. Label the embryo on the diagram, then the stage. Mix-up: embryo vs embryo as a metaphor for an early idea; do not write embryo for a newborn or for a fully formed seed leaf unless the source uses embryo.

Meaning

An animal or plant in the earliest stage of development before birth or hatching.

Examples

• “Label the embryo on the diagram, then the stage, the biology paper said.”
• “Embryo research featured in the ethics source, which is still a named Act — quote the year if given.”

Good to know

a human / plant embryo; embryonic (adjective). Later stage: foetus (course-dependent). Trap: a newborn / a vague “early idea” metaphor in a science paper. Biology and RS. Earliest developmental stage — name the organism and the stage.

Near in meaning

foetus, germ, early stage

New