Make Your Point > Archived Issues > OUROBOROS

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connect today's word to others: The ouroboros, that image of a snake eating its own tail, first appeared in an ancient Egyptian text, where it symbolized the beginning and end of time. That might sound familiar: recently we checked out a phrase meaning "the beginning and the end; the entirety of something." Can you recall it? It's a___ and ___a. Getting back to the ouroboros, it was later used as a symbol in al____y, that medieval blend of science and magic that, today, can mean "a process (or a combination of things) that seems magical, mysterious, and sort of scientific." (To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.) make your point with... "OUROBOROS" This word is Greek for "tail-devouring." It names an ancient symbol, but the word itself has been around only since 1940. A ouroboros (also spelled "uroboros" and "uroborus") is the image or symbol of a snake or a dragon eating its own tail. So, a ouroboros can symbolize any of these things:    infinity,    wholeness,     immortality,    entanglement,    self-destruction,    cyclicality (cycle-ness) in general,     the constant renewal or re-creation of oneself,    or the cycle of life and death or of creation and destruction. (We could probably expand that list even more. With a symbol this rich, we keep bringing more and more meanings to it.)     Pronunciation: "YUR uh BORE us" is the only officially recognized pronunciation I can find, so I prefer that one, but others prefer "OR uh BORE us" and other variants. I say, go with your own preference. Part of speech: Countable noun. (Countable nouns, like "bottle," "piece," and "decision," are words for things that can be broken into exact units. You talk about "a bottle," "three pieces," and "many decisions." Likewise, talk about one ouroboros or, rarely, more than one ouroboroses.) Other forms: The adjective is "uroboric." The adverb is "uroborically," which is in use but not yet officially recognized by dictionaries. How to use it: When something seems to destroy itself, or re-create or perpetuate itself, and when you want to plant that image of the snake eating itself in your readers' heads, call it a ouroboros. (Did you catch this? I just wrote "a ouroboros" and not "an ouroboros," because I prefer the pronunciation "YUR uh BORE us," so I'll say "a ouroboros," much like "a unicorn" and "a European.") Or, call something a ouroboros of things, meaning that those things are all tangled up, that they're devouring each other, or that they're endlessly cycling. Here's Kory Stamper, talking about the meaning of a certain profane B-word: "These three definitions are an ouroboros of subjective vagueness, gagging on its own tail." (Did you catch that, too? Stamper, a lexicographer, wrote "an ouroboros" instead of "a ouroboros," so she probably prefers a pronunciation like "OR uh BORE us." Again, go with your own preference for pronunciation.) To use the adjective, talk about uroboric states and situations; uroboric stories and plot lines; uroboric beginnings and endings; uroboric recycling, recreation, and renewal, etc. And to use the adverb, talk about things combining, changing, cycling, renewing, or struggling uroborically. Or talk about things being uroborically combined, uroborically transformed, uroborically self-contained, etc. examples: The final book in Stephen King's Dark Tower series--spoiler alert--ends uroborically, right where the first book begins. "That's cheap," my husband noted. When it's time to fall back, Daylight Savings time is a wonderful innovation. When it's time to spring forward, it's a hideous ouroboros of stolen sleep; only a fool "would believe that you could cut a foot off the top of a blanket, sew it to the bottom of a blanket, and have a longer blanket." study it now: Look away from the screen to explain the definition in your own words. You’ll know you understand what "ouroboros" means when you can explain it without saying "image of self-devouring" or "symbol of re-creation." try it out: Fill in the blanks: "It's a uroboric (cycle, state, or situation): (something happens again and again)." Example: "It's a uroboric cycle: some things die so that other things might live." before you review: Spend at least 20 seconds occupying your mind with the game below. Then try the review questions. Don’t go straight to the review now—let your working memory empty out first. Our game this month is "The Meanings of Maladies." I'll share a tidbit about the word for a particular symptom, disease, or condition, and you try to name it. We'll start with common maladies and work our way toward the rare and strange. From our previous issue: The word for this common condition was coined in 1906 from Greek roots meaning "other or different" and "energy or activity," with the idea being that the body reacts in certain unusual ways to outside substances. It's related to other words about energy or activity, such as "energy" itself and "ergonomics." What's the name for this condition? Answer: Allergies. Try this today: The word for this disease was coined by an ancient Greek physician, and it literally means "a passing through," with the idea being that the person suffering from it has to pass a lot of liquid through the body. It's related to words like "diametric" and "diaphanous." What is it? review today's word: 1. A near opposite of OUROBOROS is A. EPHEMERA. B. GORDIAN KNOT. C. HYDRA-HEADEDNESS. 2. In a Red Dwarf episode titled "Ouroboros," Lister realizes _____. A. he is his own father B. his cat has evolved into a human C. his dream of establishing a hot dog stand Answers are below. a final word: Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From Liesl's blog:    36 ways to study words.    Why we forget words, & how to remember them.    How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes. Answers to review questions: 1. A 2. A