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NAVEL

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na⋅vel

  [ney-vuhl]
–noun
1. umbilicus (def. 1).
2. the central point or middle of any thing or place.
3. Heraldry. nombril.
Use NAVEL in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE nafela; c. D navel, G Nabel, ON nafli; akin to Skt nābhīla, L umbilīcus, Gk omphalós
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nom⋅bril

  [nom-bril]
–noun Heraldry.
the point in an escutcheon between the middle of the base and the fess point.
Also called navel.

Origin:
1555–65; < F: lit., navel
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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na·vel   (nā'vəl)   
n.  

  1. The mark on the surface of the abdomen of mammals where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. Also called umbilicus.

  2. A central point; a middle.


[Middle English, from Old English nafela; see nobh- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

navel 
O.E. nafela, from P.Gmc. *nabalan (cf. O.N. nafli, O.Fris. navla, M.Du. navel, O.H.G. nabalo, Ger. Nabel), from PIE *(o)nobh- "navel" (cf. Skt. nabhila "navel, nave, relationship;" Avestan nafa "navel," naba-nazdishta "next of kin;" Pers. naf; O.Prus. nabis "navel;" Gk. omphalos; O.Ir. imbliu). Cf. also L. umbilicus "navel," source of Sp. ombligo and O.Fr. lombril, lit. "the navel," from l'ombril, which by dissimilation became modern Fr. nombril (12c.). "Navel" words from other roots include Lith. bamba, Skt. bimba- (also "disk, sphere"), Gk. bembix, lit. "whirlpool." O.C.S. papuku, Lith. pumpuras are originally "bud." Considered a feminine sexual center since ancient times, and still in parts of the Middle East, India, and Japan. Even in medieval Europe, it was averred that "[t]he seat of wantonness in women is the navel." [Cambridge bestiary, C.U.L. ii.4.26] Words for it in most languages have a secondary sense of "center." Meaning "center or hub of a country" is attested in Eng. from 1382. To contemplate (one's) navel "meditate" is from 1933; hence navel-gazer (1952). Navel orange attested from 1888.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: na·vel
Pronunciation: 'nA-v&l
Function: noun
: a depression in the middle of the abdomen that marks the point of former attachment ofthe umbilical cord to the embryo called also umbilicus
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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navel na·vel (nā'vəl)
n.
The mark on the surface of the abdomen that indicates where the umbilical cord was attached to the fetus during gestation. Also called bellybutton, umbilicus.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

navel

in anatomy, a small depression in the abdominal wall at the point of attachment of the umbilical cord (q.v.). It indicates the point through which the mammalian fetus obtained nourishment from its mother through the blood vessels of the umbilical cord.

Learn more about navel with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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