embryonic

UK: /ˌɛmbriˈɒnɪk/ US: /ˌɛmbriˈɑnɪk/ ,(em′brē on′ik)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

em•bry•on•ic  (em′brē on′ik), adj. 

1. Developmental Biology pertaining to or in the state of an embryo.
2. rudimentary; undeveloped.

Also, em•bry•o•nal  (em′brē ə nl, em′brē ōn′l). 

• embryon- (see embryo) + -ic 1840–50

em′bry•on′i•cal•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 2. underdeveloped, immature, unfinished.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

embryonic / ˌɛmbrɪˈɒnɪk/, embryonal / ˈɛmbrɪən^əl/ adjective

1. of or relating to an embryo
2. in an early stage; rudimentary; undeveloped

ˌembryˈonically adverb

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

em•bry•o /ˈɛmbriˌoʊ/   n. [countable] , pl. -os. 

1. Developmental Biology an animal in the early stages of development in the womb or egg.

em•bry•on•ic /ˌɛmbriˈɑnɪk/  adj. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

em•bry•o  (em′brē ō′), n., pl. -os, adj. 
n. 

1. Developmental Biology the young of a viviparous animal, esp. of a mammal, in the early stages of development within the womb, in humans up to the end of the second month. Cf. fetus.
2. Botany the rudimentary plant usually contained in the seed.
3. Developmental Biology any multicellular animal in a developmental stage preceding birth or hatching.
4. the beginning or rudimentary stage of anything:
   He charged that the party policy was socialism in embryo.

adj. 

5. Developmental Biology embryonic.

• Greek émbryon, noun, nominal use of neuter of émbryos ingrowing, equivalent. to em- em-² + bry- (stem of brýein to swell) + -os adjective, adjectival suffix
• Medieval Latin embryon-, embryo
• 1580–90

embryo-, 

1. a combining form representing embryo in compound words:
   embryology.

Also,[esp. before a vowel,] embry-.