umbilicus

IPA/ʌmˈbɪlɪkəs/
IPA/ʌmˈbɪlɪkəs/

umbilicus — noun

  • umbilicussingular
  • umbiliciplural

1. the small round hollow on the front of the stomach where the tube that supplied

1.nounC1
Definition

the small round hollow on the front of the stomach where the tube that supplied a baby with nutrients before birth was once attached

Example

During the check-up, the doctor examined the baby's umbilicus to check its healing.

medical context: checking healing of umbilicus after birth

The surgeon made a small cut near the umbilicus to perform the laparoscopic surgery.

Common collocations
  • examine the umbilicus
  • around the umbilicus
  • near the umbilicus
  • the area around the umbilicus
  • pain around the umbilicus
Synonyms
  • navel

    the standard anatomical term; interchangeable with 'umbilicus' in most contexts but slightly less technical

  • belly button

    the everyday informal term used in casual conversation; not used in medical writing

Grammar Patterns

the umbilicus

around/near the umbilicus

Usage Note

Frequently used in medical or formal contexts rather than everyday conversation. Most English speakers use 'belly button' or 'navel' in casual speech.

Common Mistakes

The doctor checked the umbilical cord on the newborn.' (when meaning the belly button).
The doctor checked the baby's umbilicus for signs of infection.
'umbilical cord' is the tube that connects a baby to its mother in the womb; the 'umbilicus' is the scar left after it falls off.

Word family

  • umbilical
    adjectiveC1
  • navel
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three words refer to the same body part — the small scar in the middle of the stomach left by the umbilical cord. 'Umbilicus' is the formal medical term used in clinical notes, textbooks, and surgeon's reports. 'Navel' is the standard neutral term, common in both written and spoken English (e.g., 'a navel piercing'). 'Belly button' is the informal everyday word that children learn first and adults use in casual conversation. In a medical appointment you would say 'pain around the umbilicus'; at home with friends you would say 'my belly button hurts'.

navel ↗belly button

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • at the level of the umbilicus
  • the umbilicus is located at

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Directly borrowed from Latin 'umbilicus', meaning 'navel' or 'center point'. The same Latin root also gave English the words 'umbilical' (relating to the cord connecting a fetus to its mother) and 'umbilical cord' itself. In ancient Rome, the word was also used figuratively for the center of anything, a sense that survives in technical descriptions of certain shell and plant structures.

First known use

1799

1799, in the meaning defined at sense 1a