mikhail epstein's definitions

chronocide

chronocide n (Greek khronos, time + Latin cidum, from caedere, to slay; cf. genocide, homicide, parricide) - the murder of time, the violent interruption of historical succession and continuity.

Any revolution is a form of chronocide: the past and present are sacrificed to the future. Any counterrevolution is also a chronocide: the present and the future are sacrificed to the past.

Communism is a chronocide: it destroys the tradition in its leap to the ungrounded future.

Fascism is a chronocide: it brings the society under the spell of the archaic past.

by Mikhail Epstein November 9, 2003

chronomaniac

chronomaniac n (Gr. khronos, time + Gr. mania, obsession, madness; cf. nymphomaniac) - a person obsessed with time and speed; one who attempts to live faster and to control time expenditure up to the smallest units.

He is a chronomaniac. He looks at his watch every minute.

by Mikhail Epstein November 9, 2003

foodnik

foodnik n food + suffix nik Ð someone for whom food and eating are main joys of living and are full of sacral significance.

He invites me to cook together a dinner, but I will hardly meet his expectations. He is a real foodnik.

by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003

defriend

defriend smbd v , transitive de + friend; cf. befriend - to break off friendly relations (with smbd).

He defriended me a year after we met, with no reason or explanation. He just stopped calling, period.

I want to defriend you. Ð What's wrong? - I need something more than friendship from you. I need love.

by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 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

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

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