umbilical

1 of 2

adjective

um·​bil·​i·​cal ˌəm-ˈbi-li-kəl 

British also

ˌəm-bə-ˈlī-kəl 

1

: of, relating to, or used at the navel

2

: of or relating to the central region of the abdomen

3

: being a necessary or nurturing link or connection

the town's umbilical rail line

umbilical

2 of 2

noun

: umbilical cord sense 2

Examples of umbilical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

They will be fed oxygen by an umbilical cord connected to the spacecraft, and the suits themselves will be passively cooled with air from the umbilical. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 10 Sep. 2024

Once docked, however, there is a hardline umbilical that carries audio. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, WIRED, 2 Sep. 2024

Noun

Menon and Poteet stayed behind for the duration, monitoring the spacecraft’s health and wrangling the trailing 3.5-meter-long life-support umbilicals that provided oxygen, power and other essentials to the spacewalking pair. —Lee Billings, Scientific American, 12 Sep. 2024

The astronauts receive oxygen through umbilicals, similar to the spacewalks of the Gemini missions in the 1960s. —Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 12 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

borrowed from New Latin umbilīcālis, from Latin umbilīcus "navel, central point" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at umbilicus

Noun

by ellipsis

First Known Use

Adjective

1541, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1774, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing umbilical

• umbilical cord

Medical Definition

umbilical

adjective

um·​bil·​i·​cal

ˌəm-ˈbil-i-kəl also ˌəm-bə-ˈlī-kəl

1

: of, relating to, or used at the navel

umbilical infection

2

: of or relating to the central abdominal region that is situated between the right and left lumbar regions and between the epigastric region above and the hypogastric region below

umbilical pain