navel

B2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /ˈneɪvəl/ UK /ˈneɪvəl/ See IPA manual

Homophones

naval /ˈneɪvəl/

Meanings

1

noun
the small, central scar on the abdomen, marking where the umbilical cord was attached

She had a small tattoo near her navel.
2

noun
a central point or middle

The city was considered the navel of the ancient world.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the small, central scar on... belly buttonumbilicustummy buttonmidriff

2 noun · a central point or middle hub center corefocal pointnucleus

Opposites

periphery edge

Word family

Forms umbilical

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

navel orange
a seedless orange with a small secondary fruit inside one end

Noun + noun

Etymology

From PIE nābhis ('navel; central point') through Proto-Germanic nafōl, Old English nafela, and Middle English navel ('navel; belly button') to modern English navel (belly button; central point).

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# navel

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈneɪvəl/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈneɪvəl/

## Meanings
1. the small, central scar on the abdomen, marking where the umbilical cord was attached
2. a central point or middle

## Examples
- She had a small tattoo near her navel.
- The city was considered the navel of the ancient world.

## Synonyms
- belly button
- umbilicus
- tummy button
- midriff
- hub
- center
- core
- focal point
- nucleus

## Antonyms
- periphery
- edge

## Etymology
From PIE nābhis ('navel; central point') through Proto-Germanic nafōl, Old English nafela, and Middle English navel ('navel; belly button') to modern English navel (belly button; central point).

## AI Etymology
Navel comes from PIE nābhis ('navel; central point') through Proto-Germanic nafōl, Old English nafela, and Middle English navel ('navel; belly button') to modern English navel (belly button; central point). In current use it is a noun meaning "the small, central scar on the abdomen, marking where the umbilical cord was attached". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The history is mainly one of transmission into English, with the older form and sense carried through borrowing or adaptation. For dictionary purposes, the important point is the continuity between the older form, the route into English, and the present lexical sense.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

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