e-quaintance

English

Alternative forms

• ecquaintance

Etymology

From acquaintance, replacing ac- (ad) with e- (“electronic”), by analogy with e-mail.

Noun

e-quaintance (plural e-quaintances)

1. (Internet) a person known exclusively online, usually from instant messaging such as AIM, or through internet dating personals.
2. (Internet) the state of knowing exclusively online

Quotations

• I've never had an e-quaintance die on me before."— [1]
  
• Myself and a few other e-quaintances are still experiencing the prob although, in my case, I have successfully uploaded pics since about a fortnight ago when Support changed something at their end. — [2]
  
• Searching for info on that carb system was my ticket to learn how to surf the net. You all have that car to blame for the misfortune of making my e-quaintance. — [3]

Related terms

• e-quaint
• e-quainted