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umbilical cord

noun

  1. (Anatomy) The flexible cordlike structure connecting a fetus at the abdomen with the placenta and containing two umbilical arteries and one vein that transport nourishment to the fetus and remove its wastes
  2. something likened to an umbilical cord; a source or means of support or sustenance
  3. a tethering or supply line (as for an astronaut outside a spacecraft or a diver underwater)
  4. any of various external electrical lines or fluid tubes that supply a rocket before launch
  5. extra-embryonic structure
L1406799 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

noun

Etymology: From umbilical + cord. Largely displaced native navel-string. First attested in 1753.

  1. The flexible structure connecting a foetus with the placenta; it transports nourishment to the foetus and removes waste.
  2. The line that supplies an astronaut with oxygen and communications when outside a spacecraft.
  3. Any of the various lines connecting a rocket to its launch pad before liftoff.
  4. Synonym of funiculus.
  5. An overdependence on or overattachment to support, especially from one's parents or guardians.

    Remember the eastern leg of HS2 being lopped back to the East Midlands? To this Yorkshireman, this was a tragedy. It removed the umbilical cord designed to connect and bind together the modern advanced manufacturing corridor of England (West Midlands-East Midlands-the reborn Sheffield-Leeds-Teesside-Tyneside), helping it to be capable of competing internationally through the synergy of skills and skilled people.