Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| extraterrestrial n. (1939) | an (intelligent) being that is not from Earth |
| extraterrestrial adj. (1854) | existing or originating outside Earth or its atmosphere |
| eyetracks n. (1952) | imaginary marks left on a book by the act of reading it |
| faan n. (1953) | a science fiction fan, esp. one regarded as non-serious, or devoted more to fandom than to science fiction itself; cf. sercon adj. |
| faanish adj. (1959) | of or relating to fandom, esp. on a superficial level; typical of a faan n. |
| face plate n. (1930) | the transparent window of a spacesuitβs helmet |
| fan v. (1941) | to participate in fandom; cf. slightly earlier fanning n. |
| fanac n. (1952) | participation in fandom, such as publishing fanzines, attending conferences, or writing letters to fanzines |
| fanarchist n. (1942) | a fan who shuns organized fandom; a fan who believes in fanarchy n. |
| fanarchistic adj. (1944) | preferring to avoid organized forms of fandom |
| fanarchy n. (1942) | a juxtaposition of fandom and anarchy; (specif. and usu.) an opposition to organized fandom; a preference for individual or small-group fan activities |
| fanboy n. (1919) | a male fan (in later use chiefly of comics, film, music, or science fiction), esp. an obsessive one |
| fandom n. (1936) | science-fiction fans collectively; the state or attitude of being a science-fiction fan |
| fanette n. (1941) | a female fan; = fanne n. |
| fanfic n. (1968) | = fan fiction n. |
| fan fiction n. (1938) | fiction, usually fantasy or science fiction, written by a fan rather than a professional author, esp. that based on already-existing characters from a television series, book, film, etc.; (also) a piece of such writing |
| 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 |
| fan service n. (1991) | chiefly in a visual medium: material not central to the plot or characterization that is included only to please the audience; (specif.) (a) sexually provocative imagery intended to titillate the viewer; (b) material (such as inside jokes) that can be appreciated (only) by serious fans of a franchise |
| 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 |
| feghoot n. (1960) | a very short story that culminates in an (elaborate) pun |
| fembot n. (1976) | a robot resembling a woman in appearance; (also) a woman characterized as having robotic behavior or demeanor |