Definition of "embryology" [em•bry•ol•o•gy]

• The branch of biology that deals with the formation, early growth, and development of living organisms. (noun)
• The embryonic structure or development of a particular organism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If that were possible, I'd spend one lifetime each in embryology, genetics, physics, astronomy and geology."
• "... scientific advances in embryology, to take one example, are maturing our moral perspective on the sanctity of human life: we're learning that the fetus is viable at a very early stage ..."
• "Making fun of omphalogy sounds frivolous, but there is a serious point here about embryology, which is the subject of this chapter."