Umbilikalis

Umbilikalis is a Latin adjective meaning “of or pertaining to the umbilicus,” with the English equivalent being umbilical. In medical and anatomical nomenclature, forms such as umbili-kalis (often rendered as umbilical in English) appear in Latin names of structures associated with the navel or the fetal umbilical cord.

In human anatomy and embryology, the term describes vessels, ligaments, and related structures connected to the umbilical region. Examples include the umbilical arteries and umbilical vein, which transport blood between the fetus and the placenta through the umbilical cord. After birth, these fetal vessels become fibrous remnants: the arteries form the medial umbilical ligaments, and the vein becomes the ligamentum teres hepatis (round ligament) within the falciform ligament of the liver. Terms like arteria umbilicalis and vena umbilicalis are encountered in Latin-American and older medical texts, while modern English usage typically prefers anesthesia and anatomy terminology built on “umbilical.”

Clinically relevant contexts involve the umbilical region during development and at birth. Abnormalities at or around the umbilicus can give rise to conditions such as omphalocele and gastroschisis, where abdominal contents herniate through the umbilical area. Umbilical cord disorders, including velamentous cord insertion or an umbilical hernia in infancy, are also described with reference to their relation to the umbilicus.

Outside human medicine, the term’s Latin roots appear in comparative anatomy and veterinary texts to describe structures associated with the navel in various mammals and other vertebrates. In contemporary usage, however, the English adjective umbilical more commonly replaces umbilicalis in most clinical and educational contexts.