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mikhail epstein's definitions

dislove

dislove verb transitive (prefix dis + love; cf. dislike, disapprove) Ð to have a deep negative feeling, attraction-through-aversion to smbd.

"Dislove" is a deeper feeling than "dislike," it is not just a matter of taste, but of personal relationship. It is addressed to individuals rather than to inanimate entities. Dislove implies a strong negative emotional connection to its object.
I don't hate Andy. I just dislove him. I wish him to be happy with somebody else.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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egonetics

egonetics, n. (ego+net+ics)

weaving a network of self-references, increasing one's presence on the interne.

Egonetics is different from "ego surfing" - a search of your name on the internet (using search engines). Egonetics is an active electronic dispersal of your name, making links to your homepage, using various interactive sites and open forums. It can be done for the sake of an idea or a commercial promotion, but in the absence of ideological or professional motifs, this is a clear case of egonetics.
I am afraid that my colleague uses her office hours for egonetics.

He is not an egoist in the classical sense, he is simply an egonetic.
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003
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traf (verb, from "traffic")

traf v (back-formation from traffic) - to drive in heavy traffic, to be held in traffic, to trail in slow traffic.
Back-formation is the creation of a simpler or shorter form from a pre-existing more complex form: "edit" from "editor," "intuit from intuition."
Now, "traf" from "traffic."

I traffed for an hour before I could get home.
I've been traffing for two hours before I could even stop by a gas station to have a cup of coffee.
by Mikhail Epstein November 8, 2003
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lovedom

lovedom n love + suffix dom; cf. kingdom, stardom Ð the world of love, the totality of loving emotions and attitudes.
Edward VIII was that rare romantic who challenged society by trading his kingdom for lovedom.

Your heart is large enough to love many, but in all your lovedom, can you find a small corner for me?
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003
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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
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philophobia

philophobia n (Greek philia, love + phobia, fear) - a persistent, abnormal, and irrational fear of love and intimacy, of deep relationship with smbd.
It seems Stalin suffered from philophobia. He never had a deep personal relationship with anybody, a man or a woman, either friendship or love.
by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003
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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
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