Etymology

omphalopsychite

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Today it means: A Hesychast. Full definition →

Medieval Greek ὀμφαλοψυχίτης
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The story

  1. Medieval Greek · borrowed fromὀμφαλοψυχίτης
  2. English todayomphalopsychite

Borrowed from Medieval Greek ὀμφαλοψυχίτης (omphalopsukhítēs), from ὀμφαλός (omphalós, “navel”) + ψυχή (psukhḗ, “soul”) + -ίτης (-ítēs, “-ite”), i.e. “one with his soul in his navel”, referring to the practice by some Hesychasts of gazing on the navel as a means to concentrate during meditation. By surface analysis, omphalo- + psych- + -ite.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.