Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

umbilicus

/ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.28 in modern English

Syllables: um-bili-cus
IPA: /ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/

15

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

noun

A umbilical cord.

noun

noun

A depression or opening in the center of the base of many spiral shells.

noun

Either of the two apertures in the calamus of a feather.

noun

A tube connecting an astronaut or spacecraft to the mothership, through which supplies and samples can be transferred.

noun

One of the foci of an ellipse or other curve.

Obsolete

noun

A point of a surface at which the curvatures of the normal sections are all equal to each other.

Example Sentences

"Although I have been tempted to cut the umbilicus, and pass a ligature round the remaining portion on one occasion, yet I now deem such interference officious and uncalled - for at this eventful period."
"She ate the umbilicus, and the afterbirth, which is supposed to be good for them. Then she licked off the first kitten and was ready for the next."
"Then he tied the umbilicus in two places, using bits of Manila twine, and made his cut between them."
"The importance of the visual analyzer is further increased when the cosmonaut is in free space with only the slight support of an umbilicus."
"Penetrators will be connected by an umbilicus to an afterbody containing imaging and meteorological instruments."
"How about a 270 mile tether to an orbiting satellite? Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Frank! Prepare to receive the umbilicus!"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃nóbʰōlder. Latin umbilīcusbor. English umbilicus Borrowed from Latin umbilīcus (“navel”).

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/
British English: /ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/

Usage

Obsolete

Inflected Forms

umbilici (plural) umbilicuses (plural)

Derived Forms

umbilical

Phrases

umbilical artery umbilical cord umbilical hernia umbilical vein

Frequently Paired Words

umbilical artery umbilical cord umbilical hernia umbilical vein

Synonyms

omphalos omphalus navel bellybutton belly button

Rhymes With

sicilicus amicus ficus andronicus granicus spicous posticous

Questions

How do you pronounce umbilicus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/.
What does umbilicus mean?: A navel.
Where does umbilicus come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₃nóbʰōlder. Latin umbilīcusbor. English umbilicus Borrowed from Latin umbilīcus (“navel”).

How to pronounce umbilicus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “umbilicus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ʌmˈbɪl.ɪ.kəs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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