Omphalos
Noun
- The center or hub of something.
- A rounded stone (especially that at Delphi) representing the navel of the Earth in ancient Greek mythology.
Example Sentences
“The omphalos of his speech was a story about his childhood growing up on a farm.”
“Your local library is an omphalos of learning and knowledge.”
“The family kitchen served as the omphalos of their holiday celebrations.”
Word Origin
Greek, mid-19th century
Why this word?
In ancient Greece, the Temple of Apollo at Delphi was considered the center of the universe. An omphalos (also called a navel) was a rounded, conical stone in the shrine at Delphi, marking the center of the world, much in the way a navel marks the center of the human body. While we now know that Delphi is not the center of the world, “omphalos” is still used as a word meaning “center or hub.” If there is more than one hub, the plural of “omphalos” is “omphaloi.”
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