What does "navel" mean?
The indentation or bump remaining in the abdomen of placental mammals where the umbilical cord was attached before birth.
Navel
/ˈneɪvəl/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The indentation or bump remaining in the abdomen of placental mammals where the umbilical cord was attached before birth.
- Grammar: navel is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: belly button, umbilicus, bellybutton, axis.
- Useful contrasts: edge, periphery.
- Usage evidence: When I was inside my mother's womb, I looked through my mother's navel at the house where I would be born and I thought: "No way I'm going there".
How to use "navel"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "navel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "navel" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "navel" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "navel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "navel" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "belly button" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "navel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The indentation or bump remaining in the abdomen of placental mammals where the umbilical cord was attached before birth.
- 2 a scar where the umbilical cord was attached wordnet
- 3 The central part or point of anything; the middle.
"Within the navel of this hideous wood, Immured in cypress shades, a sorcerer dwells, Of Bacchus and Circe born, great Comus"
- 4 the center point or middle of something wordnet
- 5 A navel orange.
"This contributed to a rapid rise in planted acreage in northern California, especially in navels, which are more suited to growing conditions there."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 An eye on the underside of a carronade for securing it to a carriage. historical
Verb
- 1 To be in the middle of a landscape. literary, poetic
"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; […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"When I was inside my mother's womb, I looked through my mother's navel at the house where I would be born and I thought: "No way I'm going there"."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "navel"?
Common synonyms include: belly button, umbilicus, bellybutton, axis, bellybuttons, center.
How do you use "navel" in a sentence?
When I was inside my mother's womb, I looked through my mother's navel at the house where I would be born and I thought: "No way I'm going there".
How do you pronounce "navel"?
Pronounced /ˈneɪvəl/.
Etymology
From Middle English navel, navele, from Old English nafola, from Proto-West Germanic *nabulō, from Proto-Germanic *nabalô (compare West Frisian nâle, Dutch navel, German Nabel), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃nóbʰōl (compare Old Irish imbliu, Latin umbilīcus, Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós), Persian ناف (nâf), Kurdish navik, Sanskrit नाभि (nābhi)), diminutive of *h₃nebʰ-. Doublet of omphalos. More at nave.