umbilical

[ uhm-bil-i-kuhl ]
See synonyms for umbilical on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of an umbilicus or umbilical cord.

  2. joined together by or as if by an umbilical cord; heavily dependent in a close relationship.

  1. adjacent to or located near the navel; central to the abdomen: the umbilical region.

  2. serving as or containing a conduit through which power is transferred, especially to a unit that will be or is designed to be ultimately self-sufficient or independent: an umbilical cable for launching a rocket; an umbilical plug for starting jet engines.

Origin of umbilical

1
1535–45; <Medieval Latin umbilīcālis, equivalent to Latin umbilīc(us) (see umbilicus) + -ālis-al1

Other words from umbilical

  • um·bil·i·cal·ly, adverb
  • non·um·bil·i·cal, adjective
  • post·um·bil·i·cal, adjective
  • sub·um·bil·i·cal, adjective

Words Nearby umbilical

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use umbilical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for umbilical

umbilical

/ (ʌmˈbɪlɪkəl, ˌʌmbɪˈlaɪkəl) /


adjective
  1. of, relating to, or resembling the umbilicus or the umbilical cord

  2. in the region of the umbilicus: an umbilical hernia

noun
  1. short for umbilical cord

Derived forms of umbilical

  • umbilically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012