Skip to main content

mikhail epstein's definitions

ignorement

ignorement n ignore + suffix ment; cf. treatment, excitement - a noun that signifies ignoring something or somebody, corresponding to the verb ignore, but different from ignorance (which is derived from ignore, but has a different meaning, "lack of knowledge").
I hoped to receive forgiveness but instead was met with suspicion and ignorement.

Your son's continuous ignorement of his civil duties needs to be noticed and reprimanded.

The government shows the same ignorement towards human lives as towards human rights.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
mugGet the ignorement mug.

chronomania

chronomania n (Greek khronos, time + Greek mania, obsession, madness; cf. megalomania, balletomania) - obsession with time and speed; inclination to utilize every moment and to submit one's life to a total time control.
America suffers from chronomania. Faster, faster, faster! Why not to stop and to look in tranquility where we stand and into which future we have been rushing headlong.

Chronomania may become dangerous for your mental health. Try to find a different focus of life, apart from schedules and deadlines.
by Mikhail Epstein November 9, 2003
mugGet the chronomania mug.

relicious

reLIcious adj relic + religious Ð religiously devoted to relics, to the preservation of the past.
Nothing in contemporary life carries meaning for him. He is a deeply relicious person, not simply nostalgic.

Some people think that Eastern Orthodox spirituality is more relicious than truly religious.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
mugGet the relicious mug.

conaster

conaster n from Latin cum, with + Greek astron, star - literally with star, the exact antonym to disaster; the fortunate outcome of an almost imminent disaster; the sensation of a catastrophe narrowly averted and later remembered from the vantage point of safety.
There were several conasters in my life that I cannot recall without thanking God for his undeserved mercy.

You were born under a lucky star. This conaster is an amazing mixture of chance and miracle.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
mugGet the conaster mug.

amortify

amortify verb trans. (Lat. amor, love + Lat. mort, death + suffix ify)

to act both with affection and ruthlessness, to inflict suffering or ruin by love.
Dostoevsky's novel "The Idiot" is the story of four principal characters who consistently attempt to amortify each other and eventually succeed.
by Mikhail Epstein November 15, 2003
mugGet the amortify mug.

oneirogenic

oneirogenic adj (from Greek oneiros, "dream" + genic; cf. photogenic, telegenic) Ð having a propensity to appear in somebody's dreams.
Some people are photogenic while others are oneirogenic. These characteristics rarely coincide. A person who is plain and unnoticeable in real life may haunt our dreams and imagination.

Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?

To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
mugGet the oneirogenic mug.

hibyer

hibyer, n. (hi+bye+suffix er)

a marginal acquaintance with whom "hi' and "bye" are the most typical units of verbal exchange; the vocabulary of a minimal relationship.
Do you know this woman? - Not really, we are hibyers.

They were married for ten years, but now they are only hibyers.

I was surprised when hibyer stopped for a more substantial conversation.
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003
mugGet the hibyer mug.

Share this definition

Sign in to vote

We'll email you a link to sign in instantly.

Or

Check your email

We sent a link to

Open your email