umbilical cord

American  

noun

1. Anatomy. a cord or funicle connecting the embryo or fetus with the placenta of the mother and transporting nourishment from the mother and wastes from the fetus.

2. any electrical, fuel, or other cable or connection for servicing, operating, or testing equipment, as in a rocket or missile, that is disconnected from the equipment at completion.

3. Aerospace Slang. a strong lifeline by which an astronaut on a spacewalk is connected to the vehicle and supplied with air, a communication system, etc.

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umbilical cord British  

noun

1. the long flexible tubelike structure connecting a fetus with the placenta: it provides a means of metabolic interchange with the mother

2. any flexible cord, tube, or cable used to transfer information, power, oxygen, etc, as between an astronaut walking in space and his spacecraft or a deep-sea diver and his craft

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umbilical cord Scientific  

/ ŭm-bĭl′ĭ-kəl /

1. The flexible cord that attaches an embryo or fetus to the placenta. The umbilical cord contains blood vessels that supply nutrients and oxygen to the fetus and remove its wastes, including carbon dioxide.

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umbilical cord Cultural  

1. A ropelike structure that connects a developing embryo or fetus to the placenta. The umbilical cord contains the blood vessels that supply the embryo or fetus with nutrients and remove waste products. Connected to the abdomen of the embryo or fetus, the umbilical cord is cut at birth, leaving a small depression — the navel, or “belly button.”

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Discover More

The detaching of the umbilical cord provides a figure of speech for new independence: “He finally cut the umbilical cord and moved out of his parents' home.”

Etymology

Origin of umbilical cord

1745–55; 1965–70 umbilical cord for def. 2

Example Sentences

She would need to cut the umbilical cord herself and return to the hospital for care in a diaper, her fetus wrapped in towels and the cord hanging between her legs.

From Salon • May 27, 2026

The show pairs the painting with a Kiki Smith sculpture, created over five decades later, that portrays the papery form of a woman from the waist down, her fetus dangling by an umbilical cord.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Each child had detectable levels of CPF in their umbilical cord blood at birth and underwent brain imaging and behavioral assessments between the ages of 6 and 14.

From Science Daily • Nov. 7, 2025

A woman who did not realise she was pregnant has described giving birth alone at the beauty parlour where she worked before cutting her baby's umbilical cord with eyebrow scissors.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2025

“What are we going to do with this?” he asked, holding up the piece of umbilical cord that had been closest to the baby.

From "The Woman Warrior" by Maxine Hong Kingston