Apparently, epiphanot is a made-up word. By that, I mean not yet broadly accepted in dictionaries. But it is a good one, and used widely, though I hadn’t heard of it until Uthaclena shared it with me.
The Urban Dictionary cites the definition above, then uses a quote from the movie Animal House to make the point.
The Collins Dictionary has this definition pending: “[facetious] a false or underwhelming epiphany.” It seems in keeping with the generally agreed-upon meaning and shows its derivation, and by extension, its pronunciation, presumably with the emphasis on the second syllable.
Verbotomy has a somewhat different take: “n. An out-of-body, or out-of-brain, experience which occurs when faced with a demanding intellectual challenge. v. To lose your train of thought while trying to demonstrate your intellectual prowess.” I think this is less in keeping with my understanding of the word.
