Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1952 | droid n. (1952) | a robot, esp. a humanoid one; an android |
| 1952 | dropshaft n. (1952) | a vertical shaft that uses artificial gravity to move free-floating passengers or freight |
| 1952 | dystopia n. 1 (1952) | a work set in a dystopia n. 2 |
| 1952 | Earther n. (1952) | a native or inhabitant of Earth |
| 1952 | earthfall n. (1952) | the arrival of a spaceship on the surface of Earth; cf. planetfall n. |
| 1952 | empathist n. (1952) | = empath n. |
| 1952 | eyetracks n. (1952) | imaginary marks left on a book by the act of reading it |
| 1952 | fanac n. (1952) | participation in fandom, such as publishing fanzines, attending conferences, or writing letters to fanzines |
| 1952 | gas giant n. (1952) | a large planet composed mostly of gaseous material thought to surround a solid core; spec. each of the four largest planets in the solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) |
| 1952 | gravity well n. (1952) | the area of space near a large mass (such as a planet or star) in which significant energy must be expended in order to counteract the object’s gravitational pull; the gravitational pull exerted by a large body in space |
| 1952 | grounder n. (1952) | a person who lives on a planet, rather than in space; = groundhog n. |
| 1952 | jet pack n. (1952) | a device, worn over the shoulders like a backpack, that enables the wearer to travel through the air or in space by means of jet propulsion |
| 1952 | jump v. (1952) | to journey through hyperspace n.; to engage in any (nearly) instantaneous travel over a long distance; cf. jump n. |
| 1952 | medikit n. (1952) | a small collection of equipment and supplies used for emergency medical treatment, a first-aid kit; (also) a device providing automated medical functions |
| 1952 | pantropy n. (1952) | James Blish’s term for: the modification of humans, esp. by genetic engineering, to make them able to survive in an alien environment |
| 1952 | planetside adv. (1952) | on or onto the surface of a planet |
| 1952 | pre-spaceflight adj. (1952) | from, or characteristic of, a time before spaceflight |
| 1952 | pseudo-grav n. (1952) | = artificial gravity n.; cf. pseudogravity n. |
| 1952 | roboticized adj. (1952) | that is or has been made robotic |
| 1952 | saucer people n. (1952) | = saucerians |
| 1952 | space v. 2 (1952) | to execute (a person) by forcing them into space without a spacesuit |
| 1952 | space biology n. (1952) | the study of biology in outer space or (broadly) in locations other than Earth |
| 1952 | speculative fiction n. 2 (1952) | = imaginative fiction |
| 1952 | Standard n. (1952) | (the name of) a language spoken on multiple worlds or by multiple species; the common language of a group or place; cf. Galactic n. 2 |
| 1952 | telempathy n. (1952) | the psionic ability to sense others’ emotions |
| 1952 | transmat n. (1952) | = matter transmitter n. |
| 1952 | warp speed n. (1952) | a faster-than-light speed, attained by a spaceship with a propulsion mechanism capable of manipulating space-time; (also, in extended use) an extraordinarily high speed |
| 1951 | beam v. (1951) | to travel through space as if along a beam of light or energy; to transport (someone or something) in this manner |
| 1951 | biotech n. (1951) | = biotechnician n. |
| 1951 | Bradburian adj. (1951) | = Bradburyish adj. |
| 1951 | cybernetically adv. (1951) | by means of cybernetic technology |
| 1951 | fanspeak n. (1951) | distinctive language used by science-fiction fans |
| 1951 | gee n. 2 (1951) | spec. a unit of acceleration equal to that due to gravity at Earth’s surface; a force arising from such acceleration; cf. earlier gravity n. |