umbilical cord

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.

umbilical cord

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

umbilical cord

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.

umbilical cord

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.”

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.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of umbilical cord¹

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

Example Sentences

Onscreen, the text reads “Anno Domini,” in case it’s not clear whose umbilical cord is getting cut.

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There was an umbilical cord running from the belly of the exploded beast back to the financial 1980s.

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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.

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No face is visible in the images and one showed a naked woman with a placenta between her legs, with an umbilical cord still attached to it.

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Screening newborn babies for rare diseases will involve sequencing their complete DNA using blood samples from their umbilical cord.

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