embryon

English

Etymology

From Medieval Latin embryon, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “newborn animal, embryo”).

Noun

embryon (plural embryons)

1. Archaic form of embryo.

Adjective

embryon (comparative more embryon, superlative most embryon)

1. (now rare) Embryonic. [from 17th c.]
   • 1667, John Milton, “Book LVI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 898-900:

     [F]our Champions fierce / Strive here for Maistrie, and to Battel bring / Thir embryon Atoms […] .

Finnish

Noun

embryon

1. genitive singular of embryo

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French embrion, from Medieval Latin embryon, embrion, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑ̃.bʁi.jɔ̃/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophone: embryons
• Hyphenation: em‧bry‧on

Noun

embryon m (plural embryons)

1. (biology) embryo
2. (botany) embryo
3. embryo (the beginning, the first stage)

Derived terms

• embryogenèse
• embryonnaire

Further reading

• “embryon”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Swedish

Noun

embryon

1. indefinite plural of embryo