Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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Word Definition
hovercar n. (1958) a car that hovers above the ground, typically conceived as using antigravity technology
hubward adv. (1977) (of a rotating or circular body, as a space station) near or towards the center, rather than the edge
Hugo n. (1953) any of several awards presented annually at the World Science Fiction Convention for excellence in science fiction or fantasy writing, art, publishing, etc.
hull v. (1942) (usu. passive) to rupture the hull of a spaceship (cf. slightly earlier hulled adj.)
hulled adj. (1941) of a spaceship: having a ruptured hull
humanoid n. (1940) a non-human being that has a human-like bodily form
humanoid adj. (1940) esp. of a robot or alien: having a humanoid form; of or relating to humanoids
hyperdrive n. (1946) a spaceship drive that enables travel faster than the speed of light; (also) the state of such travel; cf. hyperspace n.
hyperspace n. (1928) a dimension or other theoretical region that coexists with our own but typically has different physical laws, esp. such a region that allows travel through it such that the total journey occurs at faster-than-light speeds; cf. hyperdrive n.
hyperspatial adj. (1934) in or relating to hyperspace n.
hyperspeed n. (1951) a speed faster than the speed of light
hypospray n. (1947) an injection device that forces a fine, high-pressure jet of fluid through the skin without breaking it
illo n. (1945) an illustration
imaginative adj. (1914) denoting a genre of literature, etc. that is not realistic or mimetic; science fiction, fantasy, and horror collectively
impeller n. (1936) a device used to produce propulsive thrust
impervium n. (1932) a virtually impenetrable or indestructible substance
impossible story n. (1913) esp. in the early pulp era: a work of imaginative fiction; a different story n.
inertial dampener n. (1998) = inertial damper n.
inertial damper n. (1992) a device or system that partially negates the effects of inertia, used especially to protect those on board a spaceship from the effects of rapid changes in acceleration
infodump n. (1978) a large (often unwieldy or indigestible) amount of information supplied all at once; spec. as background or descriptive information in a narrative
infodumping n. (1995) the practice of using infodump n. in literature
inhuman n. (1926) a nonhuman being; cf. alien n.
inhuman adj. (1930) not human; alien
inner space n. (1920) the human mind; the innermost parts of one’s psyche
insectoid n. (1937) an insect-like alien
insectoid adj. (1950) (esp. of an alien) insect-like
insectoidal adj. (1956) = insectoid adj.