navel
/ˈneɪbəl/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.95 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The indentation or bump remaining in the abdomen of placental mammals where the umbilical cord was attached before birth.
noun
A navel orange.
Example Sentences
- "Within the navel of this hideous wood, Immured in cypress shades, a sorcerer dwells, Of Bacchus and Circe born, great Comus"
- "Sweeter than the muſk of Tatar, the morning breeze from the navel of every flower raviſhed perfume."
- "We sat alfresco on the edge of a “square,” in reality a pond of cobbly mud with a plinth plonked in its navel […]"
- "This contributed to a rapid rise in planted acreage in northern California, especially in navels, which are more suited to growing conditions there."
- "Lo, Nemi! navelled in the woody hills / So far, that the uprooting wind which tears / The oak from his foundation, and which spills / The ocean o’er its boundary, and bears / Its foam against the skies, reluctant spares / The oval mirror of thy glassy lake; […]"
- "Within the shade a ruined temple stands / To sight conspicuous, navelled in the pines, / Speaking of Grecian art, since Vandal hands / Defaced her structures, and despoiled her shrines."
Etymology
From Middle English navel, navele, from Old English nafola, from Proto-West Germanic *nabulō, from Proto-Germanic *nabalô (“navel”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nóbʰōl (“navel”), diminutive of *h₃nebʰ- (“hub; navel”). Cognates Cognate with West Frisian nâle (“navel”), Dutch navel (“navel”), German Nabel (“navel”), Vilamovian nowuł (“navel”), Yiddish נאָפּל (nopl, “navel”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Norwegian Nynorsk navle (“navel”), Icelandic nafli (“navel”), Swedish navel (“navel”); also Irish imleacán (“navel”), Scottish Gaelic ilmeag, imleag (“navel; nave”), Kashmiri ناب (nāb, “navel”), Latin umbilīcus (“navel”), Greek αφαλός (afalós), ομφαλός (omfalós, “navel”), Old Prussian nabis (“navel”), Armenian անիվ (aniv, “wheel”), Central Kurdish ناوک (nawik, “navel”), Persian ناف (nâf, “navel”), Sanskrit नाभि (nābhi, “navel; centre”), Doublet of omphalos. More at nave.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *h₃nebʰ-, navel, nafola, *nabulō, *nabalô, *h₃nóbʰōl
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈneɪbəl/
Usage
Inflected Forms
navels (plural)
navil (alternative, obsolete)
navels (present, singular)
naveling (US, participle)
navelling (UK, participle)
naveled (US, participle)
naveled (US, past)
navelled (UK, participle)
navelled (UK, past)