1. The mark on the surface of the abdomen of mammals where the umbilical cord was attached during gestation. Also called umbilicus.
2. A central point; a middle.

[Middle English, from Old English nafela.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.