omphalos

om·pha·los

noun \ˈäm(p)-fə-ˌläs, -ləs\

Definition of OMPHALOS

: a central point : hub, focal point

Examples of OMPHALOS

1. <during the Vietnam War the university's campus effectively became the area's omphalos for antiwar activity>

Origin of OMPHALOS

Greek, navel — more at navel

First Known Use: 1855

Related to OMPHALOS

Synonyms: axis, base, capital, central, core, cynosure, epicenter, eye, focus, ground zero, heart, hub, locus, mecca, navel, nerve center, nexus, nucleus, center, seat

Related Words: headquarters; happy hunting ground, hive, hotbed, hot spot, playground, playland; kernel, nub, pith; deep, thick; essence, quintessence, soul; attraction, lodestone (also loadstone), magnet, polestar

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Rhymes with OMPHALOS

albatross, coup de grâce, demitasse, dental floss, extrados, gravitas, intrados, isogloss, reredos, semigloss, Thanatos, volte-face