| umbilicus | 1. <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. <botany> The hilum. 4. <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. <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. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| areola umbilicus | A pigmented ring around the umbilicus in the pregnant woman. (05 Mar 2000) |
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