umbilicus

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: um=bil=i=cus

CIDE DICTIONARY

umbilicus, n. [L. See Umbilic.].

•  The depression, or mark, in the median line of the abdomen, which indicates the point where the umbilical cord separated from the fetus; the navel; the belly button, in humans.  [1913 Webster]
•  An ornamented or painted ball or boss fastened at each end of the stick on which manuscripts were rolled.  Dr. W. Smith.  [1913 Webster]
•  The hilum.  [1913 Webster]
•  A depression or opening in the center of the base of many spiral shells.  [1913 Webster]
•  One of the foci of an ellipse, or other curve.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

umbilicus, n. (pl. umbilici or umbilicuses)
1 Anat. the navel.
2 Bot. & Zool. a navel-like formation.
3 Geom. a point in a surface through which all cross-sections have the same curvature.

Etymology

L, rel. to Gk omphalos and to NAVEL

THESAURUS

umbilicus

axis, center, center of action, center of gravity, centroid, centrum, core, dead center, epicenter, heart, hub, kernel, marrow, medulla, metacenter, middle, nave, navel, nub, nucleus, omphalos, pith, pivot, storm center

ROGET THESAURUS

umbilicus

Centrality

N centrality, centricalness, center, middle, focus, core, kernel, nucleus, nucleolus, heart, pole axis, bull's eye, nave, navel, umbilicus, backbone, marrow, pith, vertebra, vertebral column, hotbed, concentration, centralization, symmetry, center of gravity, center of pressure, center of percussion, center of oscillation, center of buoyancy, metacenter, central, centrical, middle, azygous, axial, focal, umbilical, concentric, middlemost, rachidian, spinal, vertebral, middle, midst, centrally.