mikhail epstein's definitions

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

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

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

thanatagog

thanatagog or thanatagogue (Greek thanatos, death + Greek agein, to lead; cf. pedagog, demagog, mystagog) - one who prepares old or terminally ill people for dying.

He is a thanatagog by vocation and occupation. He works at a hospice.

by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 2003

meetnik (meet + suffix nik)

a person who enjoys meetings and all sorts of administrative events and tries to attend as many of them as possible.

Being socially active is one thing, meeting for the sake of meeting is another. I try to stay away from meetniks for whom getting together is an end in itself. Meeting without meaning is worse than meaning without meeting.

by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003

chronopathy

chronopathy n. (Gr. khronos, time + Gr. patheia, suffering) Ð a temporality disorder, a deficiency of time sense and inability to manage time, to comply with schedules, etc.

Chronopathy is the unindentified cause of many social disorders and career failures.

Chronopathy can be compared to blindness or dyslexia. As a severe impairment of the time orientation ability, it should be treated as a psychological condition rather than a moral deficiency.

by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003

scientify

scientify verb transitive (science + suffix ify, from Latin -ficare and -facere, to make or do) - to make smth more scientific, to subject to scientific views, rules and concepts.

He has tried hard to scientify his paper, but it still remains a provocative essay rather than a consistent argument.

She has scientified her diet and as a result got a distaste for food.

by Mikhail Epstein November 9, 2003