navel

noun

na·​vel ˈnā-vəl 

1

: a depression in the middle of the abdomen that marks the point of former attachment of the umbilical cord or yolk stalk

2

: the central point : middle

At Delphi, navel of the world, the ancients built a famous shrine …

—Jean Shor and Franc Shor

Synonyms of navel

• center
• capital
• hub
• mecca
• heart
• focus
• seat
• base

Examples of navel in a Sentence

a city that likes to regard itself as the nation's navel of art and culture

Recent Examples on the Web

Also look for screwworm larvae (maggots) and eggs in or around body openings, such as the nose, ears, and genitalia, or the navel of newborn animals. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 24 Sep. 2025

Stay here for several breaths, sending the tailbone high, gazing toward the navel, and pressing your heels gently toward the mat. —Julia Eskins, Outside, 22 Sep. 2025

The boy is stupefied, snot intermingling with the puke dripping from his mouth to his navel. —Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Her penchant for navel-revealing tops? —Thomas Page, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, going back to Old English nafola, nafela, going back to Germanic *naƀ-alan- (whence also Old Frisian naula "navel," Middle Dutch navel, navele, Old High German nabalo, Old Icelandic nafli), masculine n-stem derivative from *naƀō "hub of a wheel, nave entry 1"; pre-Germanic *h₃nob^h-Vlo- with o-grade ablaut and an -l- formative is paralleled by zero-grade and an -l- formative in Latin umbilīcus "navel, central point" (see umbilicus), Old Irish imliu, imbliu "navel, boss of a shield, central point" (< *amb-el-on- < *h₃n̥b^h-el-on-), Greek omphalós "navel, central point" (see omphalos)

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing navel

• navel-gazing
• navel orange

Rhymes for navel

• naval
• primaeval

Kids Definition

navel

noun

na·​vel ˈnā-vəl 

: a hollowed out place on the outside wall of the middle of the abdomen marking the point of attachment of the umbilical cord

Medical Definition

navel

noun

na·​vel ˈnā-vəl 

: a depression in the middle of the abdomen that marks the point of former attachment of the umbilical cord to the embryo

called also umbilicus