Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | shuttlecraft n. (1953) | = shuttle n. |
| 1953 | space-operatic adj. (1953) | being or resembling space opera n. |
| 1953 | space science n. (1953) | the study of outer space |
| 1953 | sword and sorcery n. (1953) | a subgenre of fantasy n. 1 which describes the adventures of larger-than-life heroes or heroines in bronze-age or medieval settings, and especially their battles with magical or supernatural foes; = heroic fantasy n. |
| 1953 | time cop n. (1953) | a member of the time police n. |
| 1953 | time opera n. (1953) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven, extravagantly dramatic plots based on time travel; a work in this genre |
| 1953 | torcher n. (1953) | a pilot of a spaceship with a torch drive |
| 1953 | torchship n. (1953) | a spaceship that uses a torch drive n. |
| 1953 | trideo n. (1953) | a device or system capable of transmitting or displaying a (moving) three dimensional image; a (moving) image displayed by such a device |
| 1953 | UFO n. (1953) | an unidentified flying object; a ‘flying saucer’ |
| 1953 | universe-wide adv. (1953) | across or throughout the entire universe |
| 1953 | vidcall n. (1953) | a call made on a videophone n. |
| 1953 | vidscreen n. (1953) | a screen capable of displaying a visual image; (also) a videophone n. |
| 1953 | WKF n. (1953) | someone who is moderately prominent within a particular fandom; cf. BNF n. |
| 1952 | biocomputer n. (1952) | a computer having components and circuits formed from or modelled on biological molecules or structures |
| 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 |