noun
-
Technical name: umbilicus. the scar in the centre of the abdomen, usually forming a slight depression, where the umbilical cord was attached
-
a central part, location, or point; middle
-
short for navel orange
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of navel
before 900; Middle English; Old English nafela; cognate with Dutch navel, German Nabel, Old Norse nafli; akin to Sanskrit nābhīla, Latin umbilīcus, Greek omphalós
Explanation
If you look down at your stomach, you can see your navel. It’s that weird-looking round depression in the middle of your belly, unless you have an "outie," in which case it pokes out instead of in. Your navel is actually a large scar that was caused by the removal of the umbilical cord when you were born, also known as your belly button. The word can also be used figuratively for a center point, like how the navel is in the center of your stomach. You might call New York City the navel of the arts scene in the United States. Careful: navels have nothing to do with the Navy, that would be naval.
Vocabulary lists containing navel
Words to Know Before You Defrost the Bird
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Gross, Anatomy!
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The Banana Tree," Vocabulary from the short story
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If you get a stud in your navel or a little tattoo on your ankle, you aren’t likely to look back later and kick yourself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
Lose, though, and it's navel gazing time again.
From BBC ● Nov. 23, 2024
Case in point: A month after the double date, Lexi was stabbing needles into the fat around her navel, ripening her eggs for extraction.
From Slate ● May 7, 2024
We get absorbed in our own navel gazing.
From Salon ● Apr. 28, 2024
Before I could change my mind, I concentrated on the small of my back—a tiny point just opposite my navel.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Paint that survived was sometimes concealed in recesses: between strands of hair, or inside navels, nostrils, and mouths.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 22, 2018
And one of the things that the media loves to do is gaze at their navels for hours on end by a tweet from Donald Trump or from me or from anybody else.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 5, 2016
I don’t spend much time thinking about other people’s navels.
From Time ● Mar. 6, 2015
Joel McHale's other gig, the self-loathing, self-abusing survey of trash TV—in which his Community co-stars dropped by and in-jokes disappeared up their own navels with a tickle.
From Slate ● Dec. 29, 2011
It covered the dwarfs’ feet, and then it came up to their navels.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
