Use navel in careful or anatomical wording, and belly button in more casual speech.
Use navel in careful or anatomical wording, and belly button in more casual speech.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| She cleaned her naval after the piercing healed. | She cleaned her navel after the piercing healed. |
| The doctor checked the navel cord. | The doctor checked the umbilical cord. |
| His navel is on his chest. | His navel is on his abdomen. |
| The navel connects a newborn to the placenta. | The umbilical cord connects a fetus to the placenta. |
Use navel figuratively when the centre is being pictured as a vital or almost sacred middle point.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Turn left at the navel of the road. | Turn left at the center of the road. |
| The navel of the debate was the budget. | The focus of the debate was the budget. |
| The shop is on the navel of the street. | The shop is in the middle of the street. |
| They called the port the naval of trade. | They called the port the navel of trade. |
Use navel only in heraldic description, where nombril point is the clearer technical term.
| Incorrect | Correct |
| Place the rose on the navel-shaped charge. | Place the rose at the navel point. |
| The navel point is at the top of the shield. | The navel point is below the fess point. |
| A navel is the whole coat of arms. | A navel is a point on the escutcheon. |
| The shield has a naval point. | The shield has a navel point. |
Use navel for the body part in formal or medical contexts, for a vivid central point in figurative writing, and for the orange only when fruit is clearly meant.
Naval means related to a navy, while navel means a belly button, a centre, a navel orange, or a heraldic point.
From Middle English navele and Old English nafela, from a Germanic family also seen in Dutch navel and German Nabel. It is cognate with Latin umbilicus and Greek omphalos, not borrowed from Latin. The central-point sense is old, and navel orange is recorded from the nineteenth century.
What does navel mean?
Navel most often means the belly button, the scar or hollow left where the umbilical cord was attached.
Is navel the same as belly button?
Yes. Belly button is the everyday term, while navel is more formal or anatomical.
What is the difference between navel and naval?
Navel means belly button or centre. Naval means related to ships or a navy.
Can navel mean the centre of something?
Yes. In figurative use, navel can mean the central or symbolic heart of a place or activity.
What is a navel orange?
A navel orange is a usually seedless orange with a small button-like formation at one end.
Why is it called a navel orange?
It is named for the small formation on the fruit that looks like a human navel.
What is the medical word for navel?
The medical word for navel is umbilicus.
Where does navel come from?
Navel comes through Middle English and Old English from a Germanic word family related to words such as German Nabel.
What does navel mean in heraldry?
In heraldry, navel can mean the lower central point on a shield, usually called the nombril point.