word of the day

omphaloskepsis: contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation

 

paintings by nadia duvall

in greek, omphalos means "navel"; skepsis means "examination."

 less than a century old, omphaloskepsis is usually considered humorous. for example, in his 2005 autobiography, grateful dead bassist phil lesh reminisced about his absorption in "the time-honored pursuits of adolescents in any era – school, social life, the opposite sex, omphaloskepsis – ...."