embryo
noun
em·bryo
| \ ˈem-brē-ˌō
\
\
plural embryos
Definition of embryo
1a
: 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
3a
: 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
Examples of embryo in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last year Pacific, a fertility clinic in San Francisco, and the Cleveland Medical Centre, in Ohio, lost many eggs and embryos to faulty storage. — The Economist, "The fertility business is booming," 8 Aug. 2019 At the same time, they are being prepared to accept implanted embryos of northern white rhinos created from stem cells. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Birth at Safari Park marks milestone in saving nearly extinct rhino," 29 July 2019 For many people, CRISPR plus China equals the biophysicist He Jiankui, who infamously used the genome editor last year to alter the DNA of two human embryos that would become twin girls. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "With its CRISPR revolution, China becomes a world leader in genome editing," 2 Aug. 2019 The Japanese government is granting its support to a scientist working to create animal embryos that contain human cells, and to then subsequently transplant them into surrogate animals. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "I Guess You Can Grow a Human Pancreas In a Rat Now," 26 July 2019 If an owner decides to proceed, the pet's DNA is used to create embryos using somatic cell nuclear transfer, the same science that produced Dolly the sheep. — Roxanne Roberts, Anchorage Daily News, "When is the best time to clone your dog?," 11 July 2019 If an owner decides to proceed, the pet’s DNA is used to create embryos using somatic cell nuclear transfer, the same science that produced Dolly the sheep. — Roxanne Roberts, Washington Post, "When is the best time to clone your dog?," 10 July 2019 Most of the commissioners appear to believe that embryos are human. — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, "Mike Pompeo’s Faith-Based Attempt to Narrowly Redefine Human Rights," 10 July 2019 While human embryos can be successfully frozen for in vitro fertilization, there's a big difference between freezing a cluster of cells and a human being, critics say. — Stephanie Innes, azcentral, "Scottsdale cryonics facility, the home of Ted Williams' head, hopes frozen dead people will live again," 17 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'embryo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for embryo
embryo
noun
English Language Learners Definition of embryo
: a human or animal in the early stages of development before it is born, hatched, etc.
See the full definition for embryo in the English Language Learners Dictionary
embryo
noun
em·bryo
| \ ˈem-brē-ˌō
\
\
plural embryos
Kids Definition of embryo
1
: an unborn human or animal in the earliest stages of growth when its basic structures are being formed
2
: a tiny young plant inside a seed
embryo
noun
em·bryo
| \ ˈem-brē-ˌō
\
\
plural embryos
Medical Definition of embryo
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
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