noun
omphalos
Omphalos (noun) means an ancient sacred stone, also called a baetylus, believed to mark the centre of the world.
noun
1
An ancient sacred stone, also called a baetylus, believed to mark the centre of the world.
2
The idea that the world was made looking as if it had a history that never really happened, such as humans being created with navels despite never having umbilical cords.
3
A rounded bump at the centre of something.
4
The middle or central point of something.
"—Rather bleak in wintertime, I should say. Martello you call it? —Billy Pitt had them built, Buck Mulligan said, when the French were on the sea. But ours is the omphalos."
— James Joyce, Ulysses (1922)
"Here I was, embosomed in the very nave, the very omphalos of furtive femininity—a prize patron of the women's restaurant, a member, privy to its innermost secrets."
— T.C. Boyle, The Collected Stories Of T.Coraghessan Boyle (2014)
"The place in which this statue stood, Malalas writes, was called “the omphalos of the city.”"
— Glanville Downey, History of Antioch (2015)
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Etymology
Comes from Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, 'navel'). It is a doublet of navel.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for omphalos
See all rhymes for omphalos →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of omphalos?
"omphalos" (noun) means an ancient sacred stone, also called a baetylus, believed to mark the centre of the world.
What is another word for omphalos?
Other words for "omphalos" include bellybutton, umbilicus, omphalus, navel.
What are the different meanings of omphalos?
"omphalos" has 3 main meanings: 1. An ancient sacred stone, also called a baetylus, believed to mark the centre of the world; 2. The idea that the world was made looking as if it had a history that never really happened, such as humans being created with navels despite never having umbilical cords; 3. A rounded bump at the centre of something.
