Definitions by mikhail epstein
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.
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.
amortify by Mikhail Epstein November 15, 2003
amort (amor + mort)
amort n. (Lat. amor, love + Lat. mort, death)
the double instinct of love and death; the ambivalent combination of Eros and Thanatos or the transformation of one into another; a cruel and (self)destructive passion that leads to the ruin of the loved or the lover.
the double instinct of love and death; the ambivalent combination of Eros and Thanatos or the transformation of one into another; a cruel and (self)destructive passion that leads to the ruin of the loved or the lover.
Amort is the most common theme of European literature, from Tristan and Isolde to The Ballad of Reading Gaol:
And all men kill the thing they love,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
And all men kill the thing they love,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
amort (amor + mort) by Mikhail Epstein November 15, 2003
bespite of (conjunction)
bespite of conj (blend of "because of" and "in spite of" ] - a condensed form of the expression "because of, or perhaps in spite of."
This work, when done and published, will be met with keen interest by scholars and general public alike, bespite of its controversial nature.
Bespite of the intensity of the debate, there has been considerable advancement in our understanding of this global trend.
Bespite of the expectation of Truman's impending loss, Democrats turned out, and by means of an "underdog effect" assured Truman's victory.
Bespite of the intensity of the debate, there has been considerable advancement in our understanding of this global trend.
Bespite of the expectation of Truman's impending loss, Democrats turned out, and by means of an "underdog effect" assured Truman's victory.
bespite of (conjunction) by Mikhail Epstein November 14, 2003
videocracy
videocracy n. (from Latin video, I see + Latin cratia, from Greek kratos, power, rule; cf. ideocracy) Ð the power of visual images in shaping contemporary societies; the crucial impact of television, cinema, internet, and advertising on public opinion, political affairs, market strategies, etc.
videocracy by Mikhail Epstein November 14, 2003
chronosome
chronosome n (Greek khronos, time + Greek soma, body; cf. chromosome) Ð a unit of historical heredity, in contrast with a chromosome as a unit of biological heredity; a mental code of a historical period that is transmitted to next generations through styles, traditions and unconscious influences ("cultural air").
The chronosomes of the early 20th c. avant-garde have reached the generation of the 1960s and shaped its political views and artistic styles.
Nabokov's novel "Invitation to a Beheading" bears many Kafka's chronosomes, even if the author claims to have never read Kafka.
Nabokov's novel "Invitation to a Beheading" bears many Kafka's chronosomes, even if the author claims to have never read Kafka.
chronosome by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003
uchronia
uchronia n. (Gr. ou, not + Gr. khronos, time; literally "no time"; cf. utopia, "no place) Ð a historical period when "nothing happens," a time of stagnation.
As soon as utopia finds its fulfilment in history, it turns into uchronia, a disruption of history itself.
uchronia by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003
chronopath
chronopath n. (Gr. khronos, time + Gr. patheia, suffering) Ð a person who suffers from chronopathy, i.e. a disorder of time sense.
chronopathic adj Ð characterized by chronopathy.
chronopathic adj Ð characterized by chronopathy.
Why are you always late? Are you a chronopath?
He has no ill intentions or disrespect when he misses one appointment after another. He is severely chronopathic since his childhood.
He has no ill intentions or disrespect when he misses one appointment after another. He is severely chronopathic since his childhood.
chronopath by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003