embryo Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun (botany) a minute rudimentary plant contained within a seed or an archegonium
noun an animal organism in the early stages of growth and differentiation that in higher forms merge into fetal stages but in lower forms terminate in commencement of larval life
conceptus; fertilized egg.

F. embryon, Gr. , perh. fr. in (akin to L. E. in) + to be full of, swell with; perh. akin to E. brew.

plural Embryos

(Biol.) The first rudiments of an organism, whether animal or plant; as: (a) The young of an animal in the womb, or more specifically, before its parts are developed and it becomes a fetus (see Fetus). (b) The germ of the plant, which is inclosed in the seed and which is developed by germination. Swift.