Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| 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 produced for and esp. by fans |
| 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 |
| 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-it n. (2001) | a work of fix-it fiction |
| fix-it adj. (1999) | designating (a work of) fan fiction that changes facts or situations in the canonical work that displease the fan author |
| 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) | = science fictional adj.; (specif.) characteristic of hackneyed or dated science fiction; Buck Rogers adj. |
| fleet n. (1898) | = space fleet n. |
| flitter n. (1941) | a small usu. short-range aircraft or spaceship |