| a bodily posture resembling that of the fetus in the uterus, in which the body is curled with head and limbs drawn in, sometimes assumed in states of fear or emotional withdrawal. |
| fetal position n. A position of the body at rest in which the spine is curved, the head is bowed forward, and the arms and legs are drawn in toward the chest. [From its resemblance to the position of a fetus in the womb.] |