Ouroboros

or ou·ro·bo·ros

[ oor-uh-bur-uhs, oor-oh-bawr-uhsyoor- ]

noun

1. a representation of a snake or dragon eating its own tail, originating in Ancient Egyptian and Greek iconography and used as a symbolic representation of wholeness, eternity, or death and rebirth.
2. anything that resembles or calls to mind a snake or dragon eating its own tail:

   The arguments and debate about transcendence can all too easily become an Ouroboros of circular logic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ouroboros¹

First recorded in 1920–25; from Greek ourobóros (drákōn) “tail-devouring (snake),” from our(á) “tail” + -o- ( def ) + -bóros (noun derivative of bibrṓskein “to devour”); dragon ( def )

Example Sentences

The trial has an ouroboros quality about it.

From Los Angeles Times

By Ke Huy Quan’s account, his starring role as Ouroboros in Season 2 of ‘Loki,’ his MCU debut, was the realization of a dream and the cap to a year filled with triumph.

From Los Angeles Times

But the plagiarism ouroboros has slowed the Ivy League administrator revenge campaign at least for now, as Stefanik is fighting off the very same allegations that were supposed to push Gay over the brink.

From Slate

The result was a sort of ouroboros of wellness content across multiple books.

From Los Angeles Times

As he sat down to pick the brains of “Loki” Season 2 head writer Eric Martin and executive producer Kevin R. Wright to learn everything he could about Ouroboros, Quan realized this was a character he already knew.

From Los Angeles Times