omphalos means an ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus, used to denote the direction of the "center" of the world. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 79 out of 100.
omphalos is pronounced /ˈɒmfəlɒs/.
Why “omphalos” is a great word
OMPHALOS — [Noun] An ancient sacred stone artifact, especially one regarded as the navel or center of the world in Greek religion and mythology. From the Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, "navel"). Doublet of 'navel'. Unlike "navel" (a purely anatomical hollow) or "center" (a neutral, geometric designation), an omphalos is a theological axis mundi, a terrestrial scar where divine power converges. It is the cold, carved stone at Delphi, the axis from which all distances were measured, the quiet conviction that the world has a singular, sacred origin. A humbling artifact, it insists our geography is also a body with a belly-button.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός (omphalós, “navel”). Doublet of navel.
noun
- An ancient religious stone artifact, or baetylus, used to denote the direction of the "center" of the world.
- The theological proposition that the world was created with certain indicia of a history which had not actually occurred (such as the humans who had never been connected to umbilical cords being created with navels).
- The navel.
- A raised central point; a boss.
- The center or hub.“—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.”