Meaning
What does Fetus Deletus mean?
Fetus Deletus is a made up spell in the Harry Potter universe, used for performing a magical abortion.
Its simplicity and ingenuity of modification to make it rhyme make it an outstanding spell, to be memorized by all wizards and witches, who plan on venturing out into the forbidden woods, unprotected.
Online, the expression has birthed countles image macro memes, as well as parodies and gags, featured in YouTube videos.
Example: Imagine a scenario where a group of friends is discussing the controversial topic of abortion. One of them, trying to lighten the mood, exclaims, “Well, if someone doesn’t want to have a baby, they just say ‘Fetus Deletus’ and poof! Problem solved!” It serves as a lighthearted way to acknowledge the seriousness of the subject matter while injecting a little humor into the conversation.
Origin
What's the origin of Fetus Deletus?
“Fetus Deletus” was inspired by the Harry Potter series, which was first published as books, between 1997 and 2007, then were later adopted as movies.
The phrase itself is created from the Latin terms “Fetus”, referring to the embryo, and “Deletus”, which is the perfect passive participle of “deleo”, meaning “I destroy.”
Althoguh the exact origin of the made up spell is not known, the first Urban Dictionary entry, mentioning it was shared in 2009. It was later featured in an image macro meme, featuring Harry and Hermione from the Harry Potter movie series (portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson respectively), talking about how Hermione is pregnant, to which Harry drops the F-Bomb – the “Fetus Deletus” bomb!
This image macro meme gained great success online and spread to several sites, through reposting, as well as newer versions.
Spread & Usage
How did Fetus Deletus spread?
“Fetus Deletus” became a popular format, appearing on countles image macro memes, as well as GIFs. Viral videos, as well as memes, and discussions all feature the phrase from sites such as Reddit, YouTube or Facebook.
A derivate of the phrase is Yeetus Deletus, made for deleting the Yeet of someone. This, eventually came full circle, birthing the Yeetus the Fetus meme, which usually features a panel form the dark and absurd cartoons of Joan Cornellà.
Overall, “Fetus Deletus” became a viral internet sensation, a veritable Copium one can turn to, in case they are lost in the endless debate around abortion. And if you feel like You’re a Wizard, and your girlfriend comes to you, saying she’s pregnant, you can always try the spell, in case it miraculously works!
External resources
- Urban Dictionary – Fetus Deletus
- English Grammar Lessons – Fetus Deletus