umbilicus

UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ʌmˈbɪlɪkəs/, /ˌʌmbɪˈlaɪkəs/

US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(um bili kəs, um′bə līkəs)


Inflections of 'umbilicus' (n): npl: umbilici

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
um•bil•i•cus  (um bili kəs, um′bə līkəs),USA pronunciation n., pl. -bil•i•ci 
    (-bilə sī′, -bə līsī).USA pronunciation 
  1. Anatomythe depression in the center of the surface of the abdomen indicating the point of attachment of the umbilical cord to the embryo;
    navel.
  2. Botany, Zoologya navellike formation, as the hilum of a seed.
  • Latin umbilīcus navel, middle, center; see navel
  • 1605–15

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
umbilicus /ʌmˈbɪlɪkəs; ˌʌmbɪˈlaɪkəs/ n ( pl -bilici /-ˈbɪlɪˌsaɪ; -bɪˈlaɪsaɪ/)
  1. a hollow or navel-like structure, such as the cavity at the base of a gastropod shell
  2. a technical name for the navel
Etymology: 18th Century: from Latin: navel, centre; compare Latin umbō shield boss, Greek omphalos navel
'umbilicus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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