uroboros
/ˌjʊərə(ʊ)ˈbɒrəs
/(also ouroboros)
noun
A circular symbol depicting a snake, or less commonly a dragon, swallowing its tail, as an emblem of wholeness or infinity.While many bowls show little sign of outside influence, others display the well-known motifs of ‘international’ magic - common divine names, familiar voces magicae, and symbols such as the ouroboros or the characteres....
- The ouroboros eats its own tail to sustain its life, in an eternal cycle of renewal.
- While critical of the inappropriate use of classical ornament, it was characteristic of Soane to have revived the use of the ancient symbol of eternity, the ouroboros, or snake biting its tail.
Derivatives
uroboric
- Neptune's embrace reminds us of the ecstasy of paradise and of the bliss of uroboric sameness from which we each derive our very sense of self-hood.
Origin
1940s: from Greek (drakōn) ouroboros '(snake) devouring its tail'.