umbilical

adjective um·bil·i·cal \ ˌəm-ˈbi-li-kəl , British also ˌəm-bə-ˈlī-kəl \

|Updated on: 19 Jul 2018

Definition of umbilical

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

Recent Examples of umbilical from the Web

Divers typically wear a compressed-air cylinder on their back as a backup source of air in case the umbilical line fails.

— john ismay, New York Times, "Why the Thailand Cave Rescue Was So Difficult: A Diver Explains," 10 July 2018
Time stilled when the baby emerged: a purplish, limp infant with the umbilical coiled around her neck.

— anndee hochman, Philly.com, "The Parent Trip: Rachael and Justin Pines of Fishtown," 27 June 2018
To our left, 5 miles distant, the other B-2 is connected to the umbilical of the second tanker.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "B-52 Bombers Could Quadruple Their Wing Bomb Loads," 25 June 2018
Now came Thomas Reed, 20 years old and trained as a commercial diver, descending by umbilical to the bay’s floor.

— earl swift, Outside Online, "The Incredible True Story of the Henrietta C.," 20 June 2018
The Knee Institute employs breakthrough procedures like umbilical (never embryonic) stem cells and PRP (platelet rich plasma), along with a personalized physical therapy regimen, to help the body heal itself.

— joyce wiswell for the knee institute, Detroit Free Press, "Back to basics – with new procedures – enhances pain relief," 7 May 2018
Bowen suffered an umbilical hernia as a result of trauma to her abdomen caused by the seat belt.

— karen kucher, sandiegouniontribune.com, "DUI driver ordered to pay $230,462 in restitution to 2 victims in car crash," 9 Apr. 2018
It was widely expected that Bryan would team up with Shane McMahon to face Owens and Zayn, but news broke Monday that McMahon had been hospitalized with diverticulitis and would need surgery to repair an umbilical hernia, according to WWE.

— nick schwartz, For The Win, "Daniel Bryan's return to WrestleMania becomes official," 28 Mar. 2018
According to plastic surgeons, there are three main types of belly button-altering surgery: umbilicoplasty, umbilical hernia repair, and a classic tummy tuck.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "Why Belly Button Plastic Surgery Procedures Are Trending Right Now," 16 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'umbilical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of umbilical

1541

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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umbilical

noun

Definition of umbilical

: umbilical cord 2

Recent Examples of umbilical from the Web

The shuttle, by delivering the chemicals that aid the flow of oil and gas directly to the well, takes those complications out of the mix, meaning oil companies can run longer umbilicals and manage more wells from a single platform.

— jordan blum, Houston Chronicle, "Local firm’s “Subea Shuttle” aims to slice offshore drilling costs," 20 Feb. 2018

First Known Use of umbilical

1774

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Medical Dictionary

umbilical

adjective um·bil·i·cal \ ˌəm-ˈbil-i-kəl also ˌəm-bə-ˈlī-kəl \

medical Definition of umbilical

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