Pertaining to, or connected with, a fetus.
"The doctor examined the fetal heartbeat during the routine ultrasound checkup."
In plain English: Fetal means relating to an unborn baby before it is born and starts moving on its own.
"The doctor checked to make sure the fetus was developing properly without any fetal abnormalities."
Usage: Use this adjective specifically when referring to the unborn offspring of humans and other mammals before birth. It is often paired with nouns like care, alcohol exposure, or development in medical contexts.
The word fetal comes from Latin fetus, meaning offspring or young animal, combined with the suffix -al to mean relating to a fetus. It entered English directly through medical and scientific usage in the 16th century.