ou·ro·bo·ros (yo?or??-bôr??s) n. A symbol in the form of a snake biting its own tail, used especially in ancient Egypt and in Hermetic philosophy as an emblem of eternity. [Greek (drak?n) ouroboros, (serpent) eating its tail : our?, tail; see ors- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots + -boros, eating (from bibr?skein, to eat, eat up).] American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.ouroboros (u??r?b??r?s; ?u?r??b?r?s) n (Classical Myth & Legend) an ancient mythical serpent used to symbolize perpetuityCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014