Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| fannish adj. (1901) | of or relating to a dedicated or obsessive fan |
| fannishness n. (1943) | the quality of being fannish |
| fanspeak n. (1951) | distinctive language used by science-fiction fans |
| fantascience n. (1934) | = science fantasy n. 3; science fiction n. 2 |
| fantasist n. (1923) | a writer of fantasy n. 1 |
| fantastic n. 1 (1923) | of a creative work: that which has the qualities of fantasy n. 1 |
| fantastic n. 2 (1937) | a work of fantasy n. 1 |
| fantastic adj. (1930) | having the quality of fantasy n. 1 |
| fantastical n. (1995) | of a creative work: that which has the qualities of fantasy n. 1 |
| fantasy n. 1 (1931) | a genre of fiction which contains elements of magic or the supernatural, frequently set in a world other than our own |
| fantasy n. 2 (1933) | a work (story, film, etc.) in the fantasy genre |
| fanzine n. (1940) | a magazine for fans, esp. those of science fiction |
| farside n. (1958) | the side of the Moon that faces away from Earth; cf. earlier darkside n. 1, nightside n. |
| faster-than-light adj. (1940) | that is travelling or can travel faster than light |
| faster than light adv. (1928) | at a speed faster than that of light |
| feelie n. (1929) | a motion picture augmented by tactile effects which are felt by the viewer; chiefly in plural (frequently with the): the screening of such pictures; such pictures as a type of entertainment |
| fembot n. (1976) | a robot resembling a woman in appearance; (also) a woman characterized as having robotic behavior or demeanor |
| femmefan n. (1940) | a female fan |
| fen n. (1940) | plural of fan |
| ferry n. (1941) | a small spacecraft used, esp. on a regular schedule, to transport passengers or cargo over a relatively short distance, as between an orbiting craft and a planetβs surface |
| filk n. (1953) | among science fiction and fantasy fans: a type of popular music, commonly performed at fan conventions, characterized by the use of familiar or traditional songs whose lyrics have been rewritten or parodied (usually on themes drawn from science fiction or fantasy literature) |
| filk v. (1978) | among science fiction and fantasy fans: to write or perform filk songs |
| filker n. (1981) | one who sings filk songs; = filk singer n. |
| filking n. (1983) | among science fiction and fantasy fans: the writing or performing of filk songs |
| filksing n. (1968) | a session or event of filk singing |
| filk singer n. (1979) | one who sings filk songs |
| filksinging n. (1965) | the singing of filk songs |
| filk song n. (1953) | a song in the filk style |
| fillo n. (1959) | a small illustration used to fill space, esp. in a fanzine |
| first contact n. (1945) | the first meeting between two different intelligent species |
| fix-up n. (1975) | a novel constructed from shorter material written separately |
| flame gun n. (1934) | a gun (esp. a handgun) that shoots flames; cf. earlier flame pistol n. |
| flame pistol n. (1930) | a pistol that shoots flames; cf. flame gun n. |
| flash crowd n. (2005) | a sudden increase in the number of visitors viewing a (small or niche) website, esp. after the site has been mentioned in a more prominent venue |
| Flash Gordon adj. (1938) | used attributively to indicate something science-fictional, especially relating to or suggestive of stereotypical or hackneyed science fiction; Buck Rogers n. |
| fleet n. (1898) | = space fleet n. |
| flitter n. (1941) | a small usu. short-range aircraft or spaceship |
| floater n. (1928) | a vehicle or device powered by antigravity; (specif.) an antigravity platform that flies relatively close to the ground |
| flux capacitor n. (1981) | in the film Back to the Future and its sequels: the core component of the time machine made of a DeLorean automobile |