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I know that a lot of people use the word "Einstein" to convey someone as a genius, but I was wondering if Einstein, as a verb, is an official term.

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closed as general reference by simchona, Daniel, FumbleFingers, waiwai933 Aug 5 '11 at 3:31


In the sense that "he's such an Einstein!" or "he Einsteined that physics exam!"? –  simchona Aug 5 '11 at 2:02
Also, assuming a word is an "official term" if it's in the dictionary, then Einstein is not a verb. –  simchona Aug 5 '11 at 2:08
Chaos, seeing as several of your most recent questions have been closed, I strongly suggest that you do even a quick internet search before posting. –  simchona Aug 5 '11 at 2:13
It's worth noting that when we do call someone "Einstein," very often we're being sarcastic. For example, if someone answers a question incorrectly at school, another student might say, "Nice job, Einstein," in a sarcastic tone of voice. –  Nicholas Aug 5 '11 at 2:48
The question is already dead, but... I think it was referring to usage of "Einstein" like "MacGyver." –  dave Aug 5 '11 at 4:10

1 Answer 1

up vote 3 down vote accepted

It's not an official word in dictionaries unless (in lowercase) as a unit of radiant energy. I've very infrequently heard it used informally to mean genius, but it's not officially recognized.

Though I did find one thing interesting about this - I googled for "einsteined" (as a verb), and the Urban Dictionary has an interesting definition:

Verb. the act of being called out on acting or doing something lame/dumb.

Guy #1: OK, I'm going to go home and watch a movie with my mom. See all you later!

Guy #2: Wow, you watch movies with your mom? That's so lame.

Guy #3: (to Guy#1)You just got einsteined, man.

I've never seen/heard this, but it just might be best to keep in mind in case you ever decide to use it.

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@simchona: Check out the edit. –  Daniel Aug 5 '11 at 2:21
Well, I guess I was making up some logical things. The fact that it's in UD and not even MW leads me to heartily support your conclusion. –  simchona Aug 5 '11 at 2:21
+1 For finding Urban Dictionary and still saying it's not officially recognized –  simchona Aug 5 '11 at 2:21
You didn't google for it, you Googled for it. :) –  Kris Jul 4 '13 at 5:25
