fetal monitor
4
4.0
- noun
- /ˈfiːtəl ˈmɒnɪtər/
- Specialized
:
monitor fetal
- Nurses connected her to a fetal monitor to ensure both the mother and baby were safe.
Examples
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The doctor used a fetal monitor to check the baby's heartbeat during labor.
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Get the fetal monitor on.
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I think of my patient who was diagnosed with cancer at the end of her first pregnancy, operating on her with my own big belly while the reassuring beat of the fetal monitor played, and how disappointed she was to breastfeed only a few short weeks from her remaining breast before chemo started.
Blog text (30) -
As the contractions intensified, the fetal monitor provided critical information to the medical team.
Synonyms
7
3.6
A machine that records and shows a person's heartbeat
2
3.7
A machine that shows a person's heart rate and rhythm continuously
A machine that uses sensors to watch a baby's heartbeat and mother's contractions during labor
A small instrument placed on a pregnant woman's belly to hear the baby's heartbeat
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'fetal' (relating to the fetus) + 'monitor' (to observe/track), so the meaning 'a device that monitors the fetus/baby during childbirth' is directly derivable from the parts. This is a common, cross-linguistic compound pattern (an instrument that monitors X), so learners who know both constituents can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Fetal monitor comes from two plain words: fetal meaning 'about the unborn baby' and monitor meaning 'something that watches or warns'. So a fetal monitor is simply a device that 'watches' the baby's heartbeat and the mother's contractions during birth, which explains the name.