bellybutton

See also: belly-button and belly button

English

Alternative forms

• belly button

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ-der.

Proto-Germanic *balgiz

Proto-West Germanic *balgi

Old English bielġ

Middle English bely

English belly

English button

English bellybutton

From belly + button.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

bellybutton (plural bellybuttons)

1. (informal) The navel or umbilicus.
   • 1909, The Boston Medical and Surgical Journal‎^[1]:

     Always used to have pain about navel when a boy (used to call it bellybutton ache) […]

   • 2019 June, “Five phobias you didn’t know existed”, in BBC Bitesize‎^[2]:

     Some people can’t even bear the thought of picking the fluff out of their bellybuttons - these people suffer from what is known as omphalophobia.

Translations

the navel or umbilicus — see navel