embryo
n. countablen. a living thing in its earliest stage of growth, before it is born or hatched. In plants, it is the tiny part inside a seed that will grow into a new plant.
n. an organism in the early stages of development, typically before it has reached a recognisably mature form. In a botanical context, refers to the rudimentary plant contained within a seed.
The seed contains a tiny embryo that will grow into a flower.
During the first few weeks of development, the embryo is highly sensitive to environmental changes.
Botanists examined the dormant embryo within the seed coat to determine if the species could survive a prolonged period of drought before germination.
Borrowed from Medieval Latin embryō, from Ancient Greek ἔμβρυον (émbruon, “fetus”), from ἐν (en, “in-”) + βρύω (brúō, “to grow, swell”).
Often used metaphorically with 'in' ('in embryo') to describe an idea or project that is in its very first stages of development.