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foetal

foetal

adjective feh-TAL Rare

Origin: Latin foetus, 'offspring'

Usage Note

Foetal is the standard French spelling (British-influenced); the variant fœtal also appears. It is used almost exclusively in medical and developmental contexts, such as la position fœtale (the foetal position) or le développement fœtal (foetal development). The feminine form is fœtale.

Examples

"Le médecin surveille le rythme cardiaque fœtal."

Natural Translation

The doctor monitors the foetal heart rate.

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