omphaloskepsis

[om-fuh-loh-skep-sis]

noun

1. 1. contemplation of one's navel as part of a mystical exercise.

   2. navel-gazing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of omphaloskepsis¹

First recorded in 1925–30; omphalo(s) + Greek sképsis “observation, perception,” equivalent to skep- (stem of sképtesthai “to observe, examine”); skeptic ( def. ), -sis

Example Sentences

Shivaree, chthonian, erumpent, tintinnabulation, exonumia, requiescat, deipnosophist, omphaloskepsis, horripilation, deliquesce, apopemptic.

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In an especially gorgeous slow movement, Dudamel revealed Mahler’s ethereal omphaloskepsis as navel gazing with Buddha-level profundity.

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It’s long past time for Facebook to take complaints about hate speech and misinformation as more than occasions for omphaloskepsis, the belly button-gazing that has been Mark Zuckerberg’s go-to response to questions about his company’s treatment of everything from violations of its users’ privacy to its hosting of noxious speech.

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The off-Broadway musical, a sleeper hit that is moving to Broadway next month, charts the angst of six nerdy and needy young people as they wrestle down words like capybara and omphaloskepsis in their efforts to win a trip to the national spelling finals.

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