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

Only two clubs in the top two divisions do not have an umbilical connection to a men’s team, with the identity and funding that goes with it. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 1 May 2025

As the ship moved, Lemons' umbilical cable snapped, leaving him stranded alone on the ocean floor without heat or light — and only five minutes of emergency oxygen. —EW.com, 3 Mar. 2025

Noun

Although Lemons and Yuasa moved quickly to try to get back to the bell, Lemons' umbilical snagged on the manifold and eventually snapped, leaving him stranded in the freezing underwater dark with minimal oxygen. —Megan McCluskey, TIME, 1 Mar. 2025

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

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