navel
vəl Origin:
before 900; Middle English; Old English nafela; cognate with Dutch navel, German Nabel, Old Norse nafli; akin to Sanskrit nābhīla, Latin umbilīcus, Greek omphalós
before 900; Middle English; Old English nafela; cognate with Dutch navel, German Nabel, Old Norse nafli; akin to Sanskrit nābhīla, Latin umbilīcus, Greek omphalós
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To navel
00:10
Navel
is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
| a chattering or flighty, light-headed person. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
navel (ˈneɪvəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | Technical name: umbilicus the scar in the centre of the abdomen, usually forming a slight depression, where the umbilical cord was attachedRelated: umbilical |
| 2. | a central part, location, or point; middle |
| 3. | short for navel orange |
| Related: umbilical | |
| [Old English nafela; related to Old Frisian navla, Old High German nabulo (German Nabel), Latin umbilīcus] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
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, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
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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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
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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