mikhail epstein's definitions

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.

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.

by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003

ifnik (if + suffix nik)

someone whose life, habits and thinking are constructed conditionally.

Don't ask him what he's going to do. A typical ifnik, he will give you a dozen of "ifs."

by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003

etceteric

etceteric adj (from etcetera, "and so forth")- somebody or something usually included in the "etcetera" rubric, one among "the others," "the like," "the rest," not named individually; marginal, anonymous, obscure.

I'm afraid you have never heard about Andrew Lynch. No, he is not an exoteric writer. He is simply an etceteric writer.

Alan has worked in zoology for almost forty years, and he still remains an etceteric researcher. Isn't this a shame? Let's find a way to give some tribute to him.

Kaluga is not an etceteric Russian provincial town, it is known for the best preserved cityscape and architecture of the 19th century.

by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 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

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

ride the edge

to be ahead in a certain skill or profession, to be on a cutting edge and take all the risks of being the first and leading the others

A recent graduate in quantum physics, Amalia now rides the edge of nanotechnology.

by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003

virtonautics

virtonautics n (virtual + nautics, from Greek nautikos, of ships, sailing, like in astronautics) Ð experimental exploration and development of virtual worlds.

Now virtonautics is still in embryo, but in the future it will become as common an occupation as aeronautics and astronautics today.

by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003