Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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First date Word Definition
1930 Terrestrian n. (1930) a native or inhabitant of Earth; = Terrestrial n. 1
1930 tight-beam n. (1930) a highly focused energy beam, esp. one that conveys communications; a device that sends such a beam; a message sent by such a device
1930 transgalactic adj. (1930) across, crossing, or extending across a galaxy
1930 Vegan n. 1 (1930) a native or inhabitant of the solar system of the star Vega
1930 Vegan adj. (1930) of or pertaining to the star Vega, or the natives or inhabitants of its solar system
1930 viewscreen n. (1930) a television or similar electronic display screen for viewing images or data
1930 vision plate n. (1930) = viewscreen n.
1930 visiplate n. (1930) = viewscreen n.
1931 Alpha Centaurian n. (1931) a native or inhabitant of the Alpha Centauri star system; cf. Centaurian n. 1
1931 astrogation n. (1931) the act of navigation in space, esp. by means of the observation of celestial objects
1931 astrogator n. (1931) one who practices astrogation; (also) an instrument used for this purpose
1931 avian adj. (1931) (of an alien) bird-like
1931 Centaurian n. 1 (1931) a native or inhabitant of the constellation Centaurus or of a star system within it, esp. Alpha Centauri; cf. Alpha Centaurian n.
1931 deflector n. (1931) a force field that protects something (such as a spaceship or a city) from potentially harmful objects or energy; a beam of energy that repels such objects; cf. shield n.
1931 dimensional adj. (1931) between dimensions; joining dimensions
1931 disruptor n. (1931) a type of energy weapon; a weapon that causes damage by disrupting the molecular bonds of its target
1931 Europan adj. (1931) of or relating to the Jovian moon Europa or its inhabitants
1931 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
1931 force field n. (1931) a field of energy that acts as an invisible barrier; cf. shield n.
1931 free fall n. (1931) a condition of weightlessness
1931 future war n. (1931) a subgenre of science fiction dealing with warfare and how it will be practiced in the future
1931 gate n. (1931) a matter transmission device, esp. a portal or device by means of which something may be (instantaneously) transported to another point in space or time, or into another dimension or alternate universe; cf. slightly earlier gateway n.
1931 matter transmission n. (1931) the transportation of material objects by a process analogous to radio transmission; cf. matter transmitter n.
1931 matter transmitter n. (1931) a device for conveying matter over a distance by transforming it into energy or information, beaming this to another location, and reconstituting the original matter at the destination; cf. matter transmission n.
1931 midspace adj. (1931) occurring in midspace n.
1931 needle-ray n. (1931) = needle-beam n.
1931 normal space n. (1931) esp. in reference to space travel: the type of space that exhibits the physical laws as we know them, in contrast to hyperspace n.
1931 parallel world n. (1931) a world that exists alongside or in addition to the known world; = parallel universe n.
1931 Plutonian adj. (1931) pertaining to the planet Pluto
1931 Plutonian n. 1 (1931) a native or inhabitant of Pluto
1931 pressor n. (1931) = pressor beam n.
1931 pressor beam n. (1931) a device that emits a beam that repels its target; (also) the beam itself; cf. tractor beam n.