Lewis & Short

2. fētus (foet-), ūs (heteroclit. abl. plur.: fetis, Att. ap. Non. 489, 6, v. in the foll.), m. [‡ feo, v. the preced. art.]..

  1. I. Abstr., a bringing forth, bearing, dropping, hatching of young (rare but class.): pater (Juppiter) curavit, uno ut fetu fieret, at one birth, Plaut. Am. 1, 2, 25: quarum (bestiarum) in fetu et in educatione laborem cum cernimus, Cic. Fin. 3, 19, 63: cornix inauspicatissima fetus tempore, Plin. 10, 12, 14, § 30: secundi fetus pecudes signari oportet, Col. 11, 2, 38.
    1. B. Transf., of plants, a bearing, producing: quae frugibus atque bacis terrae fetu profunduntur, Cic. Leg. 1, 8, 25: periti rerum adseverant, non ferre (Arabiam) tantum annuo fetu (casiae), quantum, etc., Plin. 12, 18, 41, § 83.
  2. II. Concr., young, offspring, progeny, brood (the predom. signif. of the word, in sing. and plur.; esp. freq. in poets; cf.: catulus, pullus, hinnus, hinnuleus): quae (bestiae) multiplices fetus procreant, ut sues, ut canes, his mammarum data est multitudo, Cic. N. D. 2, 51, 128: facile illa (piscium ova) aqua et sustinentur et fetum fundunt, id. ib.: fetus ventri exsecti, Plin. 8, 55, 81, § 217: cervae lactens fetus, a fawn, Ov. M. 6, 637: melliferarum apium, id. ib. 15, 382: ex die emptionis, et fetus pecorum et ancillarum partus ad emptorem pertinent, Paul. Sent. 2, 17, 7: quis (paveat), Germania quos horrida parturit Fetus? the German brood, Hor. C. 4, 5, 27.
    So very rarely of human beings: si vitium factum esset, ut (mulier) concipere fetus non posset, Gell. 4, 2, 10.
      1. 2. Transf., of plants, fruit, produce: ager novatus et iteratus, quo meliores fetus possit et grandiores edere, Cic. de Or. 2, 30, 131; cf.: nutriant fetus et aquae salubres Et Jovis aurae, Hor. Carm. Sec. 31: (arbores) crescunt ipsae fetuque gravantur, Lucr. 1, 253; cf. id. 1, 351: Cithaeron frondet viridantibus fetis, Att. ap. Non. 489, 6: arborei, Verg. G. 1, 55: mutatis requiescunt fetibus arva, id. ib. 1, 82; 4, 231: silvae dant alios aliae fetus, id. ib. 2, 442: triticei, Ov. F. 1, 693: gravidi (of grapes), id. M. 8, 294: nucis, i. e. surculus, auricomi, the golden-bough, id. Am. 6, 141; Verg. G. 2, 69: omnis fetus repressus exustusque flos, Cic. Brut. 4, 16.
        Of veins of metals: atros fetus chalybis, Sil. 1, 230.
    1. B. Trop.: nec ulla aetate uberior oratorum fetus fuit, progeny, growth, Cic. Brut. 49, 182: animi, production, id. Tusc. 5, 24, 68: dulces Musarum expromere fetus, Cat. 65, 3.