navel
- umbilicus(def 1).
- the central point or middle of any thing or place.
- Heraldry. nombril.
Origin of navel
Examples from the Web for navel
Contemporary Examples
“Me neither,” Lohse says, gazing pityingly at his own navel.
The singer Tom Jones growled hits like “Delilah” with shirts sweatily slashed to the navel.
The foam, designed to be injected into the navel, is composed of two liquid precursors.
New 'Suspended Animation' Procedure Saves Lives by Replacing Blood with a Cold Electrolyte SolutionElizabeth Lopatto
April 2, 2014
Historical Examples
It was like no wound on Earth—raw, crazy pain which started like a burn at his navel.
The Game of Rat and DragonCordwainer Smith
Then again, in the human body the central point is naturally the navel.
Ten Books on ArchitectureVitruvius
It is often seen at the navel and sometimes in the groin as early as the second week.
The Mother and Her ChildWilliam S. Sadler
He picked up a navel orange, and pointing to the navel said, "What is that?"
The Mother and Her ChildWilliam S. Sadler
If this is so, "el Cuzco" has the significance of "the Navel" (of the World).
An Account of the Conquest of PeruPedro Sancho
navel
- the scar in the centre of the abdomen, usually forming a slight depression, where the umbilical cord was attachedTechnical name: umbilicus Related adjective: umbilical
- a central part, location, or point; middle
- short for navel orange
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for navel
n.
Old English nafela, nabula, from Proto-Germanic *nabalan (cf. Old Norse nafli, Danish and Swedish navle, Old Frisian navla, Middle Dutch and Dutch navel, Old High German nabalo, German Nabel), from PIE *(o)nobh- "navel" (cf. Sanskrit nabhila "navel, nave, relationship;" Avestan nafa "navel," naba-nazdishta "next of kin;" Persian naf; Latin umbilicus "navel;" Old Prussian nabis "navel;" Greek omphalos; Old Irish imbliu). For Romanic words, see umbilicus.
"Navel" words from other roots include Lithuanian bamba, Sanskrit bimba- (also "disk, sphere"), Greek bembix, literally "whirlpool." Old Church Slavonic papuku, Lithuanian pumpuras are originally "bud." Considered a feminine sexual center since ancient times, and still in parts of the Middle East, India, and Japan. In medieval Europe, it was averred that "[t]he seat of wantonness in women is the navel." [Cambridge bestiary, C.U.L. ii.4.26] Words for it in most languages have a secondary sense of "center." Meaning "center or hub of a country" is attested in English from late 14c. To contemplate (one's) navel "meditate" is from 1933; hence navel-gazer (1952); cf. omphaloskepsis. Navel orange attested from 1888.
navel
(nā′vəl)- The mark on the surface of the abdomen that indicates where the umbilical cord was attached to the fetus during gestation.bellybutton umbilicus