Multifetal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to a situation where several fetuses develop concurrently within one pregnancy
2. Associated with the occurrence of multiple embryos residing in the womb simultaneously
3. Describes pregnancies in which multiple offspring develop together inside the uterus

Etymology: "Multifetal" is a plain compound: the prefix "multi-", from Latin "multus" meaning "many" or "much", joined to "fetal", the adjective from "fetus". Put together, the word describes a pregnancy carrying more than one fetus, so it sits alongside terms like "multiple birth" in medical and obstetric writing. The second half has a more interesting history. "Fetus" comes from Latin "fetus", meaning "offspring" or "bearing young", and it was long spelled "foetus" in English and British usage, which is why older texts and some modern British sources still show that form. The spelling and the word's place in English medicine developed together, so the same root that gives "fetus" also gives "fecund" and "fertile."

Synonyms: multiple, many, varied, diverse, plural

Antonyms: single, unifetal, solitary, individual, one