em·bryo
ˈem-brē-ˌō 
plural embryos
1
a
: an animal in the early stages of growth and differentiation that are characterized by cleavage, the laying down of fundamental tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems
especially
: the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception
b
archaic
: a vertebrate at any stage of development prior to birth or hatching
2
: the young sporophyte of a seed plant usually comprising a rudimentary plant with plumule, radicle, and cotyledons
3
a
: something as yet undeveloped
b
: a beginning or undeveloped state of something
productions seen in embryo during their out-of-town tryout period—
Henry Hewes
Henry Hewes
: embryo
embryogeny
Examples of embryo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Reuters, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024
The genetic material will then be transferred to a dunnart embryo and the first thylacine can be brought back to life.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Gliding tree frog embryos suck at escaping from egg-eating snakes.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
In Alabama, for example, a State Supreme Court ruling deemed that frozen embryos can be considered children under the law, which caused multiple clinics and providers to pause IVF services due to fear of legal liability.
—Katie Camero, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for embryo 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In this case, the surrogate, who was not named, had the embryo transplant three months earlier but had not shown any initial signs of pregnancy, according to a post on social media platform Weibo by Shangguan Zhengyi, who tracks surrogacy cases around the country.
—Reuters, NBC News, 1 Nov. 2024
The genetic material will then be transferred to a dunnart embryo and the first thylacine can be brought back to life.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
Gliding tree frog embryos suck at escaping from egg-eating snakes.
—Sofia Quaglia, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2024
In Alabama, for example, a State Supreme Court ruling deemed that frozen embryos can be considered children under the law, which caused multiple clinics and providers to pause IVF services due to fear of legal liability.
—Katie Camero, SELF, 9 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for embryo
Articles Related to embryo
Dictionary Entries Near embryo
Cite this Entry
“Embryo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embryo. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
embryo
noun
em·bryo
ˈem-brē-ˌō
plural embryos
1
: an animal in the early stages of development that are marked by cleavage, the laying down of the basic tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems compare fetus
2
: a tiny young plant within a seed
3
: a beginning or undeveloped stage
—used especially in the phrase in embryo
Medical Definition
embryo
noun
em·bryo
ˈem-brē-ˌō
plural embryos
1
archaic
: a vertebrate at any stage of development prior to birth or hatching
2
: an animal in the early stages of growth and differentiation that are characterized by cleavage, the laying down of fundamental tissues, and the formation of primitive organs and organ systems
especially
: the developing human individual from the time of implantation to the end of the eighth week after conception compare fetus
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share