omphaloscopy means navel-gazing; introversion. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 82 out of 100.
omphaloscopy is pronounced /ˌɒmfəˈlɒskəpi/.
Why “omphaloscopy” is a great word
OMPHALOSCOPY — [Noun] A clinical term for the act of contemplating one's navel, figuratively denoting sterile, excessive introspection. From the combining form omphalo- (from Ancient Greek ὀμφαλός, omphalós, meaning "navel") and -scopy (from Ancient Greek -σκοπία, -skopía, meaning "observation"), thus literally "navel observation". The earliest known use is from 1931, in the writing of Tom Hatherley Pear. Unlike "introspection," which neutrally examines one's thoughts, or "omphaloskepsis," which suggests a mystical quest for insight, omphaloscopy denotes a secular, fruitless inward gaze. It is the faint, spiraled scar studied until it becomes a labyrinth, the bureaucrat drafting a report on report-writing protocols, and the quiet dread of finding an empty center after all that looking—a portrait of consciousness discovering only the limits of its own circumference.
noun
- Navel-gazing; introversion.