Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | off-planet n. (1959) | an off-planet location |
| 1959 | planet-hopper n. 2 (1959) | a small spacecraft used esp. for short journeys between nearby planets, in contrast to one used for interstellar travel |
| 1959 | planetside n. (1959) | the surface of a planet; a base or other installation on a planet |
| 1959 | RealSoonNow adv. (1959) | in the near future; quickly; very soon |
| 1959 | RSN adv. (1959) | = RealSoonNow adv. |
| 1959 | sf-ish adj. (1959) | = science-fictionish adj. |
| 1959 | shapechange n. (1959) | an act or instance of shapechanging |
| 1959 | solar sailing n. (1959) | propelling a spacecraft via a solar sail n. |
| 1959 | superluminal adj. (1959) | having or being a speed greater than that of light; (also) designating an engine, etc., that can produce such a speed |
| 1959 | Tau Cetan adj. (1959) | of or relating to the Tau Ceti star system or its inhabitants |
| 1959 | tight-beam v. (1959) | to send (esp. a message) by means of a tight-beam n.; to send to (someone) by means of a tight-beam n.; also intrans. |
| 1958 | changewar n. (1958) | a conflict in which participants engage in time travel in order to alter history to effect a desired timeline |
| 1958 | collapsium n. (1958) | any of a variety of extremely high-density substances |
| 1958 | farside n. (1958) | the side of the Moon that faces away from Earth; cf. earlier darkside n. 1, nightside n. |
| 1958 | gravitically adv. (1958) | by means of gravity; with regard to gravity; cf. gravitic adj. |
| 1958 | hovercar n. (1958) | a car that hovers above the ground, typically conceived as using antigravity technology |
| 1958 | sercon n. (1958) | a sercon fan; a sercon item, sercon activities |
| 1958 | skin job n. 1 (1958) | a skin transplant (esp. for the purpose of changing or concealing oneβs identity); cosmetic surgery performed on the skin |
| 1958 | solar sail n. (1958) | a surface designed to utilize the pressure of solar radiation to provide the propulsive force for a spacecraft to which it is attached |
| 1958 | space relay n. (1958) | a relay station, as for a radio transmission, in space or on a moon |
| 1958 | stargate n. (1958) | a portal or device that transports something to another point in the universe (usually another such location or device) in a manner that bypasses the intervening space; cf. gate n., jump gate n. |
| 1958 | telempathic adj. (1958) | of or by means of telempathy n. |
| 1958 | xenobiological adj. (1958) | of or relating to xenobiology n. |
| 1957 | hard science fiction n. (1957) | science fiction that does not violate known scientific laws; science fiction based or focused on the hard sciences |
| 1957 | jumpship n. (1957) | a spaceship that makes interstellar jumps |
| 1957 | offworlder n. (1957) | a person or being from another planet; an alien |
| 1957 | out-system n. (1957) | an area outside of a solar system |
| 1957 | robocop n. (1957) | a robotic or bionic law enforcement officer |
| 1957 | science fictiony adj. (1957) | characteristic of science fiction n. 2; resembling something which might exist in a work of science fiction; futuristic |
| 1957 | skinsuit n. (1957) | a thin, tight-fitting spacesuit, often intended for short-term or emergency use |
| 1957 | unsuit v. (1957) | to remove a spacesuit |
| 1957 | unsuited adv. (1957) | without wearing a spacesuit |
| 1957 | wormhole n. (1957) | an interconnection between widely separated regions of space-time, allowing faster-than-light travel between them |