Wordwyrt

navel

/ˈneɪvəl/NAY-vuhl
/ˈneɪvəl/NAY-vuhl

Meaningthe navel

Common meaning: the belly button

Journey through time

  1. Aryan root · reconstructed√NABH‘swell, burst, injure’No written record; from Skeat’s list of Aryan roots, no. 181, p. 736 · scan
  2. Old Englishnafela‘the navel’sourceB&T
  3. Middle Englishnauelsource
  4. Englishnavel‘the belly button’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Old English nafela ‘the navel’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry NAVEL, p. 388 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • nafela Old English “the navel”

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