Dictionary > Umbilicus

Umbilicus

umbilicus
1. (Science: anatomy) The depression, or mark, in the median line of the abdomen, which indicates the point where the umbilical cord separated from the foetus; the navel.
2. An ornamented or painted ball or boss fastened at each end of the stick on which manuscripts were rolled.
3. (Science: botany) The hilum.
4. (Science: zoology) A depression or opening in the center of the base of many spiral shells. Either one of the two apertures in the calamus of a feather.
5. (Science: geometry) One of foci of an ellipse, or other curve. A point of a surface at which the curvatures of the normal sections are all equal to each other. A sphere may be osculatory to the surface in every direction at an umbilicus.
Synonym: umbilic.
Origin: L. See Umbilic.


You will also like...

takahē
Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

Meet the colorful takahē, an extremely rare flightless bird. Find out more about its unique features and why they matte..

Biosecurity and Biocontrol
Biosecurity and Biocontrol

This lesson explores the impact of biosecurity threats, and why they need to be identified and managed. Examples to incl..

Schematic diagram of bacterial lactose operon
Gene Action – Operon Hypothesis

Learn how the way genes control and determine every aspect of the body. This lesson uses lac operon as an example. ..

..

Pink Lotus plant on a pond
Freshwater Lentic Communities & Animals

This tutorial looks at some of the communities in freshwater lentic habitats. For instance, symbiosis occurs in a commun..

Lights' Effect on Growth
Lights’ Effect on Growth

This tutorial elaborates on the effect of light on plant growth. It describes how different plants require different amo..

Gibberellins and Gibberellic Acid
Gibberellins and Gibberellic Acid

This tutorial describes the role of gibberellin family in plants. Find out the effects of gibberellin on plant growth an..

Related Articles...

No related articles found

See all Related Topics