umbilical cord

American  

noun

umbilical cords plural

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 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

---

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.

---

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.”

---

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.”

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• umbilical cords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of umbilical cord

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

Example Sentences

Young animals are especially vulnerable as the umbilical cord and wounds from typical husbandry practices such as castration are prime sites for infestation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

To investigate, the research team analyzed DNA methylation patterns, a common form of epigenetic modification, in umbilical cord blood from 571 infants.

From Science Daily • Jun. 2, 2026

Instead, the father expressed outrage at the hospital for not delaying the clamping of the umbilical cord.

From Salon • May 7, 2026

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 • Apr. 12, 2025

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