Ouroboros

American  

[oor-uh-bur-uhs, oor-oh-bawr-uhs, yoor-] / ˌur əˈbɜr əs, ˌur oʊˈbɔr əs, ˌyʊər- /

Also Uroboros, or ouroboros

noun

1. a representation of a snake or dragon eating its own tail, originating in Ancient Egyptian and Greek iconography and used as a symbolic representation of wholeness, eternity, or death and rebirth.

2. anything that resembles or calls to mind a snake or dragon eating its own tail.

   The arguments and debate about transcendence can all too easily become an Ouroboros of circular logic.

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Etymology

Origin of Ouroboros

First recorded in 1920–25; from Greek ourobóros (drákōn) “tail-devouring (snake),” from our(á) “tail” + -o- ( def. ) + -bóros (noun derivative of bibrṓskein “to devour”); dragon ( def. )

Example Sentences

It’s like a malevolent Ouroboros, where we can’t tell which is the head and which the tail, or which end is swallowing the other.

From Salon

The classic childhood ouroboros: creation, destruction, repeat.

From Salon

A well-deserved Oscar followed, along with a supporting role in Disney’s “American Born Chinese” adaptation, as the voice of a pangolin in “King Fu Panda 4” and as the MCU’s Ouroboros in “Loki.”

From Salon

Quan continued this trend with “Loki,” in which his smart-mouthed, tech-savvy character Ouroboros is “a variant of Data from ‘The Goonies,'” according to his interview with Gold Derby.

From Salon

Stars are so chained to their spoiler lists, and the press are often so discouraged from seeking real depth from actors in superhero films, that the MCU has created a self-destructive ouroboros that keeps the money rolling in while great filmmaking stays at a distance.

From Salon