umbilical cord

American  

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.

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umbilical cord British  

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

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umbilical cord Scientific  

/ ŭm-bĭl′ĭ-kəl /

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.

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umbilical cord Cultural  

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.”

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Discover More

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.”

Etymology

Origin of umbilical cord

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

Example Sentences

The show pairs the painting with a Kiki Smith sculpture, created over five decades later, that portrays the papery form of a woman from the waist down, her fetus dangling by an umbilical cord.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

On the other hand, a 2020 study that measured acetaminophen in umbilical cord blood did find a dose-dependent association with autism.

From Slate • Sep. 26, 2025

“That feeding tube kept me connected to my mother the way an umbilical cord does,” she writes in the book begun during her imprisonment.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2024

Family Court documents stated Baby Elsa still had her umbilical cord, and doctors estimate she had been born only an hour before.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2024

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

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis