What does umbilicus mean?
The umbilicus is the formal word for the navel: the small depression or scar on the abdomen where a newborn's umbilical cord was attached. Medical professionals commonly use it in examinations, procedures, and descriptions of anatomy, while general speakers usually say navel or, more informally, belly button. The word can also have a specialized botanical meaning, identifying the scar or depression on a seed where it was attached to the fruit or stalk. Umbilicus is useful when precision matters because it distinguishes the anatomical structure itself from related terms such as umbilical, which describes the cord, blood vessels, tissues, or other features associated with it. Its history also connects anatomy with the broader vocabulary of the navel and the body's central point.
The navel, especially the scar on the abdomen where the umbilical cord was attached.
"In the first hours after birth, the umbilical stump gradually dries and hardens."
This is the principal anatomical sense. It is more formal and technical than navel and belly button.
In botany, the scar or depression on a seed where it was attached to the fruit or its stalk.
"The botanist examined the umbilicus of the bean seed under a magnifying glass."
This is a specialized botanical sense and is uncommon in general usage.
The plural umbilici is formed on the Latin pattern; umbilicus is also recorded as an alternative plural in some dictionaries.
"The surgeon cleaned the umbilici of both infants."
Before birth, the umbilicus connects a baby to the placenta; afterward, it becomes a tiny scar—and remarkably, the same word describes a seed's attachment point.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does umbilicus come from?
The English word was borrowed from Latin umbilicus, meaning “navel.” The Latin term is related to Ancient Greek omphalos, also meaning “navel,” and both belong to a family of Indo-European words associated with the body's central point. Latin derivatives supplied the English adjectives umbilical and umbilicate, while omphalic belongs to the parallel Greek-derived vocabulary.
Related word forms
How umbilicus is actually used
Umbilicus is the standard anatomical and scientific term. In everyday speech, navel is usual, while belly button is informal.
Easily confused with umbilicus
Umbilicus is the navel itself, whereas umbilical is an adjective meaning relating to the navel or umbilical cord, as in umbilical artery.