umbilic

3 definitions found

umbilic - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Umbilic \Um*bil"ic\, n. [From L. umbilicus: cf. F. ombilic. See
     Navel.]
     1. The navel; the center. [Obs.] "The umbilic of the world."
        --Sir T. Herbert.
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     2. (Geom.) An umbilicus. See Umbilicus, 5
        (b) .
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  Umbilic \Um*bil"ic\, a. (Anat.)
     See Umbilical, 1.
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  Umbilicus \Um`bi*li"cus\, n. [L. See Umbilic.]
     1. (Anat.) The depression, or mark, in the median line of the
        abdomen, which indicates the point where the umbilical
        cord separated from the fetus; the navel; the belly
        button, in humans.
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     2. (Gr. & Rom. Antiq.) An ornamented or painted ball or boss
        fastened at each end of the stick on which manuscripts
        were rolled. --Dr. W. Smith.
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     3. (Bot.) The hilum.
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     4. (Zool.)
        (a) A depression or opening in the center of the base of
            many spiral shells.
        (b) Either one of the two apertures in the calamus of a
            feather.
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     5. (Geom.)
        (a) One of the foci of an ellipse, or other curve. [Obs.]
        (b) 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. Called also umbilic.
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