em ‧ bry ‧ o /ˈembriəʊ $ -brioʊ/ BrE AmE noun ( plural embryos ) [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Medieval Latin ; Origin: Greek embryon , from bryein 'to swell' ]
1 . an animal or human that has not yet been born, and has just begun to develop ⇨ foetus
2 . in embryo at a very early stage of development:
The system already exists in embryo.