Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

Order by: alphabetical | chronological



Word Definition
fan film n. (1961) a movie made by a fan; audiovisual fan fiction n.
fangirl n. (1934) a female fan (chiefly of comics, film, music, or science fiction), esp. an obsessive one
fangirl v. (2003) esp. of a girl or woman: to exhibit extreme devotion (to) or excitement (about); to act like a fangirl n.
fankind n. (1940) fans, considered collectively
fanmag n. (1928) a magazine for fans; (specif.) = fanzine n.
fanne n. (1942) a female fan
fanning n. (1940) the practice or activity of being a fan; participation in fandom
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 planet’s 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