omphaloskeptic

omphaloskeptic

English

WOTD – 9 April 2008

Alternative forms

• omphalosceptic

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, “navel”) + σκέψις (sképsis, “perception, reflection”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˌɒm.fəl.əˈskɛp.tɪk/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌɑːm.fəl.əˈskɛp.tɪk/

• Audio (US)

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Noun

omphaloskeptic (plural omphaloskeptics)

1. One who contemplates or meditates upon one's navel; one who engages in omphaloscopy.
   • January 1956, Francis Wyndham, “Archived copy”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎, archived from the original on 17 March 2008, retrieved 29 April 2019, page 85:

     The trouble with this book, however, is that he gazes so fixedly at himself that his own eyes dazzle a little. He is not an omphalosceptic. His gaze never turns downwards; it is kept obstinately at face-level.

   • 1970, Aldous Huxley, Letters of Aldous Huxley, Harper & Row, page 78,

     […] though you must admit that no omphaloskeptic, nay, not Plotinus, could have so utterly realized the Infinite as at moments one did to night.

   • 1980, John B. Bremner, Words on Words: A Dictionary for Writers and Others Who Care About Words, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 268-269:

     Omphalopsychites: Mencken's word for those who dream of bringing American English into line with English English. Omphalos is Greek for navel, whence also omphaloskeptic, one who dreams up bright ideas while gazing at (skepsis, a looking at) his navel.

   • 1998, Eddie Muller, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir‎, Macmillan, →ISBN, page 154:

     His coronation as the Grand Omphaloskeptic of the cinema was still more than a decade away.

Adjective

omphaloskeptic (not comparable)

1. Likely to, prone to, or engaged in contemplating or meditating upon one's navel.
   • 1998, Louis C. Burmeister, Elements of Thermal-Fluid System Design, Prentice Hall, →ISBN, page 31:

     This approach has been referred to as an omphaloskeptic method of design, so called after the term omphaloskepsis used to describe the technique of meditation through contemplation of the navel (from the Greek "omphalos" for navel and "skepsis" for examination).

Usage notes

Both the noun and adjective are often used in a derogative fashion, to indicate that a person is not in tune with reality.

Derived terms

• omphaloskepsis

Related terms

• omphalocentric
• omphalomancy
• omphalomesenteric
• omphalopsychic
• Omphalopsychite
• omphalos
• omphaloscopy