overwordExplorer
ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

embryo.

In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.

6 characters2 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

noun/ˈɛmbɹi.əʊ/Received-Pronunciation/ˈɛmbɹi.oʊ/General-American
  1. In the reproductive cycle, the stage after the fertilization of the egg that precedes the development into a fetus.

  2. An organism in the earlier stages of development before it emerges from the egg, or before metamorphosis.

  3. In a viviparous animal, the young animal's earliest stages in the mother's body.

  4. In a human, usually the cell growth of the child within the mother's body, through the end of the seventh week of pregnancy.

  5. A rudimentary plant contained in the seed.

  6. The beginning; the first stage of anything.

    figuratively
Where this word comes from

Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”).

FROM WORD TO NAME

Try it on your idea.

embryo has 6 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.

embryo studioembryo workshello, embryo

These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.

Explore the name generator

A word with a source.

Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.