embryo

embryo — noun

1. a living thing at the earliest stage of its growth, before it is born or hatches

1.名詞B2
釋義

a living thing at the earliest stage of its growth, before it is born or hatches from an egg, or before a plant seed begins to sprout — in humans, this early period lasts roughly eight weeks from the moment of fertilisation

例句

The embryo develops inside the mother for about eight weeks before it becomes a foetus.

collocation: embryo develops into foetus

Lakan's doctor showed him the embryo on the ultrasound screen.

同義詞
  • zygote

    refers to the single fertilised cell before it begins dividing; earlier stage than embryo

  • foetus

    used for later stages of development in mammals; follows the embryo stage

  • germ

    used mainly for the earliest stage of a seed or idea; broader and less precise than embryo

反義詞
  • adult

    a fully developed, mature organism

用法筆記

Frequently used attributively (embryo development, embryo stage). In human pregnancy, the term embryo is used for the first eight weeks after fertilisation, after which it is called a foetus.

常見錯誤

❌The foetus is only two weeks old.
✅The embryo is only two weeks old.
💡In humans, the developing baby is called an embryo for the first eight weeks, and a foetus after that.

2. something that is in its earliest, most basic form and has not yet been fully de

2.名詞C1
釋義

something that is in its earliest, most basic form and has not yet been fully developed — used especially of ideas, plans, creative works, or organisations

例句

The film began as the embryo of a script on Tara's laptop.

figurative: embryo of a script

The embryo of a new training programme existed in the notes Eitan had scribbled.

construction: the embryo of [something]

同義詞
  • rudiment

    more formal and technical; implies the basic building blocks of something

  • prototype

    a working early version, not just an idea; more concrete than embryo

  • seed

    suggests potential for future growth; often used with ideas or feelings

反義詞

用法筆記

Often used in the fixed phrase in embryo (meaning 'in an early, undeveloped state'). Subject is typically an abstract noun such as idea, plan, project, design, or concept.

常見錯誤

❌The new law is an embryo.
✅The new law exists in embryo.
💡The noun is most naturally used in the phrase in embryo or as embryo of [something], not as a standalone countable noun.

embryo — combining form