embryo
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embryo
A living organism in the earliest stage of its development after fertilization of the egg cell, before the organs are fully formed. In humans, the term refers to the first eight weeks of pregnancy.
Auf dem Ultraschallbild konnte man den menschlichen Embryo bereits erkennen.
The human embryo could already be seen on the ultrasound image.
'Embryo' is a scientific technical term from biology, medicine, and botany. In everyday life, it is only used when speaking precisely about the early development of a living organism.
Die Vorlesung heute behandelt die Entwicklung des Embryos zum Fötus.
Today's lecture deals with the development of the embryo into a fetus.
You can tell from the context whether a human/animal or a plant embryo is meant. Words like 'Schwangerschaft' (pregnancy), 'Ultraschall' (ultrasound), or 'Eizelle' (egg cell) point to the medical meaning. Words like 'Samen' (seed), 'Keimling' (seedling), or 'Pflanze' (plant) point to the botanical meaning.
Die Ärztin erklärte die Entwicklung des menschlichen Embryos.
The doctor explained the development of the human embryo.
The word 'Embryo' belongs to a scientific word family. The adjective derived from it is 'embryonal' (embryonic, e.g. embryonic development), and the field is 'Embryologie' (embryology).
Die embryonale Phase ist durch schnelles Zellwachstum gekennzeichnet.
The embryonic phase is characterized by rapid cell growth.
germ / sprout
'Keim' and 'Embryo' both describe a very early stage of development. 'Keim' is used for plants as the first young shoot from a seed. It can also generally mean the beginning of something. 'Embryo' is more precise and more biological: it means a living organism in early development after fertilization, for example in humans or animals. In botany, 'Embryo' can also mean the seedling inside a seed. The words can be confusing because both refer to something very early. For humans and animals, however, you say 'Embryo', not simply 'Keim'.
Im Biologieunterricht lernen wir, wie sich ein Embryo in den ersten Wochen entwickelt.
In biology class, we learn how an embryo develops in the first few weeks.
Aus dem Samen wächst zuerst ein kleiner Keim.
A small sprout grows from the seed first.