Fetal is the usual American spelling of foetal. It means “of a fetus”: a baby still growing inside the mother, before birth.

FetalFetal is the usual American spelling是美式比較常用的拼法， of foetal對應 foetal 這個字。It means “of a fetus”意思是「胎兒的」： a baby still growing inside the mother還在媽媽肚子裡長大的寶寶， before birth出生之前的階段。

You meet it in medical and science talk — fetal development, a fetal heartbeat, fetal alcohol syndrome — and it sounds clinical, not cuddly. Doctors and textbooks use it; it is not a word for baby talk.

You meet it你會在 in medical and science talk醫學和科學的用語裡遇到它—— fetal development, a fetal heartbeat, fetal alcohol syndrome像 fetal development（胎兒發育）、a fetal heartbeat（胎心音）、fetal alcohol syndrome（胎兒酒精症候群）—— and it sounds clinical, not cuddly聽起來很專業、不是那種可愛的說法。Doctors and textbooks use it醫生和教科書會用這個字； it is not a word for baby talk它不是用來哄小孩講話的字。

British English has long written foetal and foetus with oe. American English writes fetal and fetus.

British English英式英文 has long written foetal and foetus with oe一直用 oe 拼成 foetal 和 foetus。American English美式英文 writes fetal and fetus則拼成 fetal 和 fetus。

Though actually, fetus / fetal is now common even in a lot of British scientific writing, so the old school-book split is tidier than the page in front of you. Keep the pair together: fetus goes with fetal; foetus goes with foetal.

Though actually不過其實， fetus / fetal is now commonfetus／fetal 這種拼法現在也很常見， even in a lot of British scientific writing連很多英國的科學寫作裡也是， so the old school-book split is tidier than the page in front of you所以課本上那種乾淨的美式／英式分法，比你眼前這篇文章看到的還要整齊。Keep the pair together記得把這一對放在一起看： fetus goes with fetalfetus 配 fetal； foetus goes with foetalfoetus 配 foetal。