English
umbilical
Umbilical comes from Latin umbilicus ‘navel’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nebʰ-‘hub, navel’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nóbʰōl‘navel’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEumbilicus‘navel’
- Englishearliest quotation 2000umbilical
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nebʰ-‘hub, navel’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃nóbʰōl‘navel’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEumbilicus‘navel’
- Englishearliest quotation 2000umbilical
Earliest quotation: 2000, Orestes: “One womb, one shame, one resolve ¶ Liberate this…”
Formed from umbilicus ‘navel’ + -al
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ- ‘hub, navel’
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃nóbʰōl ‘navel’
Today it means
adj Of, or relating to, the navel (umbilicus) or the umbilical cord.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃nebʰ- / umbilical