{"id":24474,"date":"2026-02-13T14:59:51","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:59:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=24474"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:59:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:59:52","slug":"omphaloskepsis-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/?p=24474","title":{"rendered":"Omphaloskepsis"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Do you engage in <strong>omphaloskepsis<\/strong>? <\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/47519160@N04\/46583458605\/in\/photolist-2nfqYVk-2dYqpip-23wYJ8k-2bzWhJX-2nppQ1H-9QtjN-2d7XF34-2m7TMsH-2m8bDSc-2pCoav3-ycXo91-2iRmDMS-2nTTTpM-2iRn4ng-2n3QSCc-2mGUtjz-2mGUtjK-GZfGRt-xwSnUT-rCMVD-2mc34U4-itvWwe-2ruGQWC-6RGddK-2iSpY6Z-6Bc21T-6Bc1Xx-6Bgcmm-6Bc1M8-2qagK55-9E7KjJ-EpY1F9-2rPqVfr-jEiySc-4PE2y5-xi6mdF-jT3GYy-2o7hxzX-4wAXs8-7GApsN-8ozs8e-8ExVx-2BQLyW-a3byLe-9xtff2-2jNvRvs-2oiok7c-MWgRnm-5PXL1G\" title=\"Mimicking UK politicians navel gazing\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7853\/46583458605_389a4a7b11_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Mimicking UK politicians navel gazing\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Omphaloskepsis<\/strong> [\u02cc\u0252mf\u0259l\u0259\u02c8sk\u025bps\u026as] is a very useful word that means the comtemplation of or meditation upon one&#8217;s navel, or in other words, navel-gazing. Another definition is &#8216;Ratiocination* to the point of self-absorption&#8217;. It comes from Ancient Greek <em>\u1f40\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03cc\u03c2<\/em> (omphal\u00f3s &#8211; navel) &#038; <em>\u03c3\u03ba\u03ad\u03c8\u03b9\u03c2<\/em> (sk\u00e9psis &#8211; perception, reflection) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/omphaloskepsis\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><em>*Ratiocination = Reasoning, conscious deliberate inference. Thought or reasoning that is exact, valid and rational. A proposition arrived at by such thought [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/ratiocination#English\">source<\/a>].<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Related words include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>omphaloskeptic<\/strong> = One who contemplates or meditates upon one&#8217;s navel; one who engages in omphaloscopy. Likely to, prone to, or engaged in contemplating or meditating upon one&#8217;s navel. <\/li>\n<li><strong>omphalomancy<\/strong> = Divination by means of a child&#8217;s navel, to learn how many children the mother may have.<\/li>\n<li><strong>omphalopsychic<\/strong> = Related to or characterised by navel-gazing (omphaloskepsis). Someone who engages in omphaloskepsis, a navel-gazer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The Modern Greek word <strong>\u03bf\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03bf\u03c3\u03ba\u03bf\u03c0\u03af\u03b1<\/strong> (omfaloskop\u00eda &#8211; the action or effect of omphaloscopy. A method of divination involving the examination of the umbilical cord) is also related [<a href=\"https:\/\/el.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/%CE%BF%CE%BC%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BB%CE%BF%CF%83%CE%BA%CE%BF%CF%80%CE%AF%CE%B1\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The Ancient Greek word <em>\u1f40\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03cc\u03c2<\/em> (omphal\u00f3s &#8211; navel, umbilical cord, anything navel-shaped, centre) comes from Proto-Indo-European <em>*h\u2083m\u0325b\u02b0-l\u0325-<\/em> (navel), from <em>*h\u2083neb\u02b0-<\/em> (hub, navel) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/%E1%BD%80%CE%BC%CF%86%CE%B1%CE%BB%CF%8C%CF%82#Ancient_Greek\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots include <strong>umbilicus<\/strong> (navel, middle, centre), <strong>navel<\/strong> and <strong>nave<\/strong> in English, <strong>ombelico<\/strong> (navel, umbilicus) in Italian, <strong>nombril<\/strong> (navel, belly button, middle) in French, <strong>umbigo<\/strong> (navel) in Portuguese, <strong>buric<\/strong> (navel, belly button) in Romanian,  <strong>naaf<\/strong> (hub, nave) in Dutch, <strong>Nabel<\/strong> (navel, belly button, centre, middle) in German, and  <strong>imleac\u00e1n<\/strong> (navel, belly button) in Irish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/h%E2%82%83neb%CA%B0-\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>By the way, I found the word <strong>omphaloskepsis<\/strong> while putting together a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2026\/02\/12\/umbilification\/\">Celtiadur post<\/a> about words for navel, centre and middle in Celtic languages. It appears in the definition of the Welsh word <strong>bogailsyllu<\/strong> [b\u0254\u0261ai\u032fl\u02c8s\u0259\u026c\u0268 \/ bo\u02d0\u0261ai\u032fl\u02c8s\u0259\u026ci], which means to comtemplate one&#8217;s navel, or to engage in navel-gazing or <strong>omphaloskepsis<\/strong> [<a href=\"https:\/\/welsh-dictionary.ac.uk\/gpc\/gpc.html?bogailsyllu\">source<\/a>]. If you are  <strong>omphaloskeptic<\/strong>, then in Welsh you are <strong>bogailsyllol<\/strong> (given to navel-gazing) [<a href=\"https:\/\/welsh-dictionary.ac.uk\/gpc\/gpc.html?bogailsyllol\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>The <strong>bogail<\/strong> [\u02c8b\u0254\u0261ai\u032fl \/ \u02c8bo\u02d0\u0261ai\u032fl] in <strong>bogailsyllu<\/strong> means navel, umbilicus, belly button or afterbirth, a boss on a shield, a knob a stud, a nave, the hub of a well, middle or centre [<a href=\"https:\/\/welsh-dictionary.ac.uk\/gpc\/gpc.html?bogail\">source<\/a>]. It should not be confused with <strong>bogail<\/strong>, which means vowel.<\/p>\n<p>Words that mean <strong>navel-gazing<\/strong> in other languages include: <strong>navlepilleri<\/strong> in Danish, <strong>navelstaren<\/strong> in Dutch, <strong>nombrillisme<\/strong> in French, <strong>Nabelschau<\/strong> in German, and <strong>navlebeskuer<\/strong> in Norwegian [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/omphaloskepsis\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Do you engage in omphaloskepsis? Omphaloskepsis [\u02cc\u0252mf\u0259l\u0259\u02c8sk\u025bps\u026as] is a very useful word that means the comtemplation of or meditation upon one&#8217;s navel, or in other words, navel-gazing. Another definition is &#8216;Ratiocination* to the point of self-absorption&#8217;. It comes from Ancient Greek \u1f40\u03bc\u03c6\u03b1\u03bb\u03cc\u03c2 (omphal\u00f3s &#8211; navel) &#038; \u03c3\u03ba\u03ad\u03c8\u03b9\u03c2 (sk\u00e9psis &#8211; perception, reflection) [source]. *Ratiocination = Reasoning, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[179,100,102,104,107,111,116,118,127,128,10,31,41,45,51,77,78],"tags":[164,158,567,138,569,570,281,568,571,163],"class_list":["post-24474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ancient-greek-","category-danish","category-dutch","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-german","category-greek","category-irish","category-italian","category-language","category-norwegian","category-portuguese","category-proto-indo-european","category-romanian","category-welsh","category-words-and-phrases","tag-english","tag-etymology","tag-greek","tag-language","tag-navel","tag-navel-gazing","tag-omniglot","tag-omphaloskepsis","tag-umbilicus","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24474"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24482,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24474\/revisions\/24482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/bloggle\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}