A navel orange, a usually seedless sweet orange with a small button-like formation at one end.
Examples
She packed a sweet navel in her lunch.
The vendor stacked navel oranges beside the mandarins.
A ripe navel is easy to peel by hand.
He sliced a navel over the salad.
California navel oranges arrive in winter.
The fruit bowl held two navels and a grapefruit.
Similar words
navel orange
Washington navel
Bahia navel
Heraldic shield point
noun
heraldry
technical
A lower central point on a heraldic shield, more often called the nombril point.
Examples
The small star was drawn at the navel of the shield.
In older blazonry, the navel lies below the fess point.
The charge appears near the navel rather than in base.
The manual labels the lower middle position as the navel.
A bend can pass close to the navel of an escutcheon.
The artist moved the roundel toward the navel point.
Similar words
nombril
nombril point
navel point
Etymology
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.
FAQ
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.
Comments & contributions
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Lucky Meerkat
Jul 16
ombligo = navel, pero hablando normal casi siempre digo belly button
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Calm Egret
Jul 13
tummy button feels very UK-childrens-book to my American ear
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Hearty Canary
Jul 12
navel and naval still trips me up every single time lol
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Wild Starling
Jul 7
At the grocery store, navels by itself can just mean navel oranges. Outside fruit context I would not shorten it like that, it gets funny fast.
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Solid Toad
Jun 30
navel lint is a real phrase btw. In ordinary talk I hear belly button lint more often, but navel fluff/navel lint shows up in those weird little science articles about it
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Wandering Egret
Jun 24
If you mean the jewellery, belly button ring is totally normal even when the jewellery is not actually a ring. Navel ring sounds more like a shop listing to me.
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Misty Raven
Jun 29
same, I only see navel much on piercing sites
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Solid Eagle
Jun 22
For the shape of a belly button, English people normally say innie and outie. A protruding navel is understandable, but it sounds like something from a clinic form.
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Olive Camel
Jun 24
outie is common in Canada too, not only US
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Fresh Vole
Jun 19
i kept reading navel-gazing literally when I first saw it. In reviews its usually a put-down, like this writer is too busy staring at himself
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Minty Rabbit
Jun 21
yeah Spanish has mirarse el ombligo for the same idea, made it click for me