Embryo

Noun

 * 1) In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a foetus.
 * 2) An organism in the earlier stages of development before it emerges from the egg, or before metamorphosis.
 * 3) In viviparous animals, the young animal's earliest stages in the mother's body
 * 4) In humans, usually the cell growth up to the end of the seventh week in the mother's body
 * 5)  A rudimentary plant contained in the seed.
 * 6) The beginning; the first stage of anything.

Derived terms

 * embryology
 * embryonic

Related terms

 * foetus, fetus
 * zygote