Meanings
plural umbilical cords
- anatomyThe flexible structure connecting a foetus with the placenta; it transports nourishment to the foetus and removes waste.
Synonyms: navel-string, umbilicus
- spacecraftThe line that supplies an astronaut with oxygen and communications when outside a spacecraft.
- space flightAny of the various lines connecting a rocket to its launch pad before liftoff.
- figurativelyAn overdependence on or overattachment to support, especially from one's parents or guardians.
1 more example
Remember the eastern leg of HS2 being lopped back to the East Midlands? To this Yorkshireman, this was a tragedy. It removed the umbilical cord designed to connect and bind together the modern advanced manufacturing corridor of England (West Midlands-East Midlands-the reborn Sheffield-Leeds-Teesside-Tyneside), helping it to be capable of competing internationally through the synergy of skills and skilled people.
2024 February 7, Andrew McNaughton, “HS2: a truncated route cuts off city lifelines”, in RAIL, number 1002, page 47
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe flexible structure connecting a foetus with the placenta; it transports nourishment to the foetus and removes waste.
nounSynonym of funiculus.
More synonyms by meaning
nounmembranous duct connecting the fetus with the placenta
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
From umbilical + cord. Largely displaced native navel-string. First attested in 1753.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic حَبْل سُرِّيّ
- حَبْل سُرِّيّ (ḥabl surriyy)cord between foetus and placenta
Bulgarian пъ́пна връв
- пъ́пна връв (pắpna vrăv)cord between foetus and placenta
Catalan cordó umbilical
- cordó umbilicalcord between foetus and placenta
Chinese Cantonese 臍帶 /脐带
- 臍帶 /脐带cord between foetus and placenta
Chinese Mandarin 臍帶 /脐带
- 臍帶 /脐带 (qídaì)cord between foetus and placenta
Czech pupeční šňůra
- pupeční šňůracord between foetus and placenta
Danish navlestreng
- navlestrengcord between foetus and placenta
Dutch navelstreng, navelsnoer
- navelstrengcord between foetus and placenta
- navelsnoercord between foetus and placenta
Estonian nabanöör
- nabanöörcord between foetus and placenta
Finnish napanuora, napanuora
- napanuoracord between foetus and placenta
- napanuoraline connecting an astronaut to the spacecraft during spacewalk
- napanuoraany line connecting a rocket to its launch pad
French cordon ombilical
- cordon ombilicalcord between foetus and placenta
German Nabelschnur
- Nabelschnurcord between foetus and placenta
Greek ομφάλιος λωρός
- ομφάλιος λωρός (omfálios lorós)cord between foetus and placenta
Hebrew חֶבֶל הַטַבּוּר
- חֶבֶל הַטַבּוּרcord between foetus and placenta
Hindi नाभिरज्जु
- नाभिरज्जु (nābhirajju)cord between foetus and placenta
Hungarian köldökzsinór, köldökzsinór
- köldökzsinórcord between foetus and placenta
- köldökzsinórline connecting an astronaut to the spacecraft during spacewalk
Indonesian tali pusat
- tali pusatcord between foetus and placenta
Irish srincne, caolán imleacáin
- srincnecord between foetus and placenta
- caolán imleacáincord between foetus and placenta
- caol imleacáincord between foetus and placenta
- sreang imleacáincord between foetus and placenta
Italian cordone ombelicale
- cordone ombelicalecord between foetus and placenta
Japanese 臍帯, 臍の緒
- 臍帯 (saitai)cord between foetus and placenta
- 臍の緒 (heso no o)cord between foetus and placenta
Korean 탯줄, 제대
- 탯줄 (taetjul)cord between foetus and placenta
- 제대 (jedae)cord between foetus and placenta
Latin nervus umbilicaris
- nervus umbilicariscord between foetus and placenta
Latvian nabassaite
- nabassaitecord between foetus and placenta
Lithuanian virkštelė
- virkštelėcord between foetus and placenta
Māori tāngaengae, iho
- tāngaengaecord between foetus and placenta
- ihocord between foetus and placenta
- uhocord between foetus and placenta
- raurucord between foetus and placenta
- pitocord between foetus and placenta
- kahacord between foetus and placenta
Norwegian navlestreng
- navlestrengcord between foetus and placenta
Persian بند ناف
- بند ناف (band-e nâf)cord between foetus and placenta
Polish pępowina, pępowina
- pępowinacord between foetus and placenta
- pępowinaline connecting an astronaut to the spacecraft during spacewalk
- pępowinaany line connecting a rocket to its launch pad
Portuguese cordão umbilical
- cordão umbilicalcord between foetus and placenta
Punjabi ਨਾੜੂ
- ਨਾੜੂ (nāṛū)cord between foetus and placenta
Russian пупови́на
- пупови́на (pupovína)cord between foetus and placenta
Slovak pupočná šnúra
- pupočná šnúracord between foetus and placenta
Spanish cuerda umbilical
- cuerda umbilicalcord between foetus and placenta
Swahili kitovu, kitovu
- kitovucord between foetus and placenta
- kitovuline connecting an astronaut to the spacecraft during spacewalk
- kitovuany line connecting a rocket to its launch pad
Swedish navelsträng
- navelsträngcord between foetus and placenta
Tagalog futag, talimpusod
- futagcord between foetus and placenta
- talimpusodcord between foetus and placenta
Tamil தொப்புள்கொடி, கொப்பூழ்க்கொடி
- தொப்புள்கொடி (toppuḷkoṭi)cord between foetus and placenta
- கொப்பூழ்க்கொடி (koppūḻkkoṭi)cord between foetus and placenta
Thai สายสะดือ
- สายสะดือ (sǎai-sà-dʉʉ)cord between foetus and placenta
Turkish göbek bağı
- göbek bağıcord between foetus and placenta
Ukrainian пупови́на
- пупови́на (pupovýna)cord between foetus and placenta
Vietnamese cuống nhau, dây rốn
- cuống nhaucord between foetus and placenta
- dây rốncord between foetus and placenta
- cuống rốncord between foetus and placenta
Welsh llinyn bogail
- llinyn bogailcord between foetus and placenta
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with umbilical cord
Cite this entry
umbilical cord. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umbilical%20cord
“umbilical cord.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umbilical%20cord. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “umbilical cord,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/umbilical%20cord.
Source: umbilical cord on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.