umbilical
Americanadjective
-
of, relating to, or characteristic of an umbilicus or umbilical cord.
-
joined together by or as if by an umbilical cord; heavily dependent in a close relationship.
-
adjacent to or located near the navel; central to the abdomen.
the umbilical region.
-
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.
noun
adjective
-
of, relating to, or resembling the umbilicus or the umbilical cord
-
in the region of the umbilicus
an umbilical hernia
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonumbilical adjective
- postumbilical adjective
- subumbilical adjective
- umbilically adverb
Etymology
Origin of umbilical
1535–45; < Medieval Latin umbilīcālis, equivalent to Latin umbilīc ( us ) ( umbilicus ) + -ālis -al 1
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.
There was an umbilical cord running from the belly of the exploded beast back to the financial 1980s.
From Literature
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
Screening newborn babies for rare diseases will involve sequencing their complete DNA using blood samples from their umbilical cord.
From BBC
Okula said he cut Crew’s umbilical cord and the doctor let him know Hailey was doing great and he could wait for her in the next room with the baby.
From Los Angeles Times
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
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.
