Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| gateway n. (1928) | a portal allowing travel or communication between dimensions, alternate universes, etc.; = gate n. |
| geas n. (1921) | in fantasy writings: a spell; a magical compulsion |
| gee n. 1 (1949) | a measure of gravitation or acceleration |
| gee n. 2 (1951) | spec. a unit of acceleration equal to that due to gravity at Earthโs surface; a force arising from such acceleration; cf. earlier gravity n. |
| generation ship n. (1955) | an interstellar spacecraft in which multiple generations of passengers are born, live, and die before arrival at its destination |
| generation starship n. (1979) | = generation ship n. |
| genetically engineered adj. (1969) | produced by genetic engineering n. |
| genetic engineer n. (1954) | a scientist who works in the field of genetic engineering n. |
| genetic engineering n. (1951) | the alteration of the genome of an organism by laboratory techniques, esp. by the insertion, alteration, or removal of a gene |
| gengineer n. (1987) | = genetic engineer n. |
| gengineer v. (1989) | to produce, develop, or alter through genetic engineering n. |
| gengineering n. (1985) | = genetic engineering n. |
| genre n. (1993) | the literary fields of science fiction, fantasy, and horror collectively; imaginative fiction |
| genre fantasy n. (1977) | stories, novels, etc. that are explicity written or published in the genre of fantasy, as opposed to ones which contain fantastic or supernatural elements but are written or published as mainstream or in another genre |
| genre science fiction n. (1971) | stories, novels, etc. that are explicity written or published as science fiction, as opposed to ones which contain science fictional elements but are written or published as mainstream or in another genre |
| Gernsbackian adj. (1952) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing that appeared in the magazines edited by Hugo Gernsback, esp. in featuring extensive discussions of scientific or technological issues |
| glassite n. (1930) | a strong transparent synthetic material; an artificial substitute for glass |
| glitch n. (1998) | in phrase a glitch in the matrix: in the 1999 film The Matrix: an anomaly in the virtual representation of reality in which much of the film takes place, indicating a change or error in the underlying computer simulation; (hence, broadly) a mistake, an error, a problem |
| golden age n. (1948) | a period in the past regarded as the time when science fiction was at its best |
| gram v. (1940) | = spacegram v. |
| grandfather paradox n. (1939) | a paradox concerning the implications of time travel, expressed by the idea that a hypothetical time traveller could potentially go back into the past and (deliberately or inadvertently) kill his or her grandfather, thus preventing the time travellerโs existence and the possibility of having travelled back into the past in the first place; cf. time paradox n. |
| graser n. (1964) | a device that produces a beam of gamma radiation, usually as an energy weapon n. |
| grav n. 1 (1939) | an anti-gravitational propulsion device; (typically as) gravs: a propulsion system using antigravity |
| grav n. 2 (1939) | an earth-standard acceleration; gee n. 2 |
| gravitic adj. (1935) | of, caused by, or powered by gravity |
| gravitically adv. (1958) | by means of gravity; with regard to gravity; cf. gravitic adj. |
| gravitics n. 1 (1944) | the science of studying or controlling gravity |
| gravitics n. 2 (1982) | any of various devices making use of gravity or gravitational waves, as (a) sensors that use gravitational waves to detect objects in space; (b) a system that creates artificial gravity |
| gravitied adj. 1 (1940) | having gravity (of a specified strength or type) |
| gravitied adj. 2 (1979) | having artificial gravity |
| graviton n. (1929) | a subatomic particle thought of as propagating the action of gravitational force |
| gravitonic adj. (1929) | of or relating to gravitons |
| gravity n. (1930) | = gee n. 2 |