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Meaning & use

umbilical cord

noun·Everydaymedical

Last updated

UK/ʌmˈbɪlɪkl kɔːd/
US/ʌmˈbɪlɪkl kɔːrd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablebiology

    The tube-like cord that connects an unborn baby to its mother's placenta, carrying food and oxygen before birth.

    Grammar: Countable: the baby's umbilical cord.

    Patterns

    • cut the umbilical cord
    • the umbilical cord around the neck

    The nurse clamped and cut the umbilical cord soon after the birth.

    The doctor checked that the umbilical cord was not wrapped around the baby's neck.

    Blood from the umbilical cord can sometimes be stored for medical use.

  2. nouncountablefigurative

    A strong link that supplies something essential, such as a pipe or cable that feeds a spacecraft or machine, or a close dependence.

    Grammar: Used figuratively: cut the umbilical cord.

    Patterns

    • cut the umbilical cord with something

    The astronaut stayed attached to the ship by an umbilical cord.

    The startup finally cut the umbilical cord with its parent company.

    Many students struggle to cut the umbilical cord with home.

Word forms

pluralumbilical cords

Common combinations

cut the umbilical cord
The father was invited to cut the umbilical cord.
clamp the umbilical cord
The midwife clamped the umbilical cord quickly.
wrapped around the umbilical cord
The baby was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck.
umbilical cord blood
Umbilical cord blood contains useful stem cells.
umbilical cord stump
Keep the umbilical cord stump clean and dry.

Synonyms and how they differ

navel string
Navel string is an old-fashioned folk term, and umbilical cord is the standard medical term.
lifeline
A lifeline is a figurative support that rescues or sustains, but it is not a body part.
tether
A tether is a rope that attaches an object or person, without the idea of nourishment.

Word family

umbilicus noun
the formal word for the navel
umbilical adjective
relating to the navel or the cord
navel noun
the belly button, left where the cord was attached
placenta noun
the organ the cord connects to

Commonly confused: umbilical cord or umbrella cord?

umbilical cord vs umbrella cord

There is no such medical term; umbilical is easily mistaken for umbrella because of the similar start.

Practice

After the birth, the midwife clamped and cut the ___.

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