mikhail epstein's definitions

chronomania

chronomania n (Greek khronos, time + Greek mania, obsession, madness; cf. megalomania, balletomania) - obsession with time and speed; inclination to utilize every moment and to submit one's life to a total time control.

America suffers from chronomania. Faster, faster, faster! Why not to stop and to look in tranquility where we stand and into which future we have been rushing headlong.

Chronomania may become dangerous for your mental health. Try to find a different focus of life, apart from schedules and deadlines.

by Mikhail Epstein November 9, 2003

chairy

chairy adj (chair + suffix y) Ð someone who likes to chair meetings, to preside, to

be a master of ceremonies.

Jimmy is every bit as chairy as Andrew, which spells trouble at a small institution like ours.

She is a wonderful person, but maybe just a touch too chairy to share a household with her.

by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003

thanatagogy

thanatagogy n (Greek thanatos, death + Greek agein, to lead; cf pedagogy, demagogy, mystagogy) Ð initiation into death, preparation for dying.

Thanatology is the study of death and dying; thanatagogy is a practical branch of this knowledge. The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" is the most ancient manual in thanatagogy.

For Plato, philosophy is thebasis of thanatagogy. To study philosophy is nothing but to prepare oneself to die.

by Mikhail Epstein November 7, 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.

by Mikhail Epstein November 14, 2003

astralgia

astralgia, n. (Gr. astro-, star + Gr. algos Ð pain, grief, distress; cf. nostalgia) - a longing for stars and interstellar travels to the remote corners of the universe; homesickness for cosmos.

The film "Gattaca" is about astralgia. The protagonist, Vincent, though deemed genetically flawed and subsequently fated to Á low-level occupation, pursues to the end his dream of space travel.

by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 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

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