umbilical cord
25
3.0
- noun
- /ˌʌm.bɪˈlɪ.kəl kɔrd/
- Specialized
:
cordón umbilical
- After birth, the umbilical cord is often cut to separate the baby from the placenta.
- umbilical cord blood
- umbilical cord blood samples
- cutting the umbilical cord
Those blood samples came from the umbilical cord of newborn babies.
- Those blood samples came from the umbilical cord of newborn babies.
- She cuts the umbilical cord with a stick and ties it with her own hair.
- The baby still attached the umbilical cord and the the baby was stabbed.
Examples
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The elephant's calf lies on the ground, its upside-down pose and still-attached umbilical cord indicating that it has just been born.
Academic text (2002) -
You know, Josh, in primitive societies, after they sever the umbilical cord, they eat the placenta in a ritualistic ceremony.
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I think it's time to cut the umbilical cord.
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Your mom cut your umbilical cord herself.
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After the doctor explains that the umbilical cord around your neck cuts off your oxygen,
Fiction book (2002) -
When we think of stem cells, we think of umbilical cord stem cells.
Blog text (5) -
It's possible there's a problem with the umbilical cord.
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Those blood samples came from the umbilical cord of newborn babies.
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The umbilical cord's been severed.
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Mr. Locke, I'm sorry, we have a situation here where the baby's umbilical cord is wrapped around the baby's neck.
Synonyms
3
5.9
A cord that links a baby before birth to its mother
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'umbilical' (pertaining to the navel/connection) + 'cord' (a flexible string) yields a cord associated with the navel that connects the fetus. This is a literal anatomical term with clear cross-linguistic equivalents (e.g., Spanish 'cordón umbilical'), so a learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Umbilical cord is the real cord that connects a baby to its mother before birth. The word umbilical comes from a word for the 'belly button' because the cut cord leaves the baby's belly button, so the name reminds us it is the life‑giving connection between baby and mother.