Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | thionite n. (1937) | an addictive drug which induces euphoric dreams |
| 1937 | time warp n. (1937) | a distortion of space-time by which people or objects at one point in time can be (instantly) moved to another, or within which time moves at a different speed |
| 1937 | vacuum-suited adj. (1937) | wearing a vacuum suit n. |
| 1938 | annish n. (1938) | the issue of a fanzine published on the anniversary of the first issue’s publication |
| 1938 | apa n. (1938) | an organization of (often science fiction) fans that publishes a periodical containing works by most or all of the members |
| 1938 | continuum n. (1938) | a universe; dimension n. |
| 1938 | Earth-norm n. (1938) | = Earth-normal n. |
| 1938 | fan fiction n. (1938) | fiction, usually fantasy or science fiction, written by a fan rather than a professional author, esp. that based on already-existing characters from a television series, book, film, etc.; (also) a piece of such writing |
| 1938 | Flash Gordon adj. (1938) | = science fictional adj.; (specif.) characteristic of hackneyed or dated science fiction; Buck Rogers adj. |
| 1938 | mech n. (1938) | = robot n.; (also) = mecha n. 1 |
| 1938 | mind-controlled adj. (1938) | of a device or a being: controlled by another person’s thoughts |
| 1938 | mind shield n. (1938) | = thought shield n. |
| 1938 | sfnal adj. (1938) | = science fictional adj. |
| 1938 | space bum n. (1938) | a spacer who wanders aimlessly; a vagrant in space; (also) a spacer who is regarded as contemptible |
| 1938 | space dock n. (1938) | a spaceport or space station, esp. one where a spaceship can undergo repair or take on supplies |
| 1938 | spacehand n. (1938) | someone who works or has experience working in space, esp. a low-ranking member of a spaceship crew |
| 1938 | subetheric adj. (1938) | of, relating to, or involving a sub-ether n. (esp. with allusion to a means of faster-than-light communication) |
| 1938 | suited adj. (1938) | wearing a spacesuit |
| 1938 | telescanner n. (1938) | a scanner, esp. one used for remote visual examination |
| 1938 | time-warped adj. (1938) | transported from the past or future by a time warp n. |
| 1938 | tin can n. (1938) | a spaceship or space station |
| 1938 | uchronia n. (1938) | = alternate history n. |
| 1938 | uchronic adj. (1938) | of or relating to uchronias |
| 1938 | vac-suit n. (1938) | = vacuum suit n. |
| 1938 | zero-gravity n. (1938) | the state or condition in which there is no apparent force of gravity acting on a body, either because the force is locally weak, or because both the body and its surroundings are freely and equally accelerating under the force |
| 1939 | Aldebaranian n. 2 (1939) | the language of Aldebaranians |
| 1939 | astrogational adj. (1939) | of or relating to astrogation n. |
| 1939 | bug-eyed monster n. (1939) | a monstrous alien with bulging eyes, esp. as a clichéd subject for cover illustrations in early science fiction magazines; cf. BEM n. |
| 1939 | carbon-based adj. (1939) | based on the chemistry of carbon compounds (usually describing life as we know it on Earth, in contrast with with theoretical forms of life based on other chemical elements, as silicon) |
| 1939 | -con suffix (1939) | (used to form the names of conventions, with the first element indicating the location or (typically in informal designations) the main subject or focus of the event); cf. con n. |
| 1939 | con n. (1939) | a convention; an organized gathering of fans; cf. -con suffix |
| 1939 | darkside n. 1 (1939) | the side of an object in space (as a spaceship, or a moon or planet) that faces away from the closest star; cf. farside n., nightside n. |
| 1939 | Earth-type adj. 1 (1939) | of Earth style or manufacture |
| 1939 | ET n. (1939) | = alien n. |
| 1939 | extraterrestrial n. (1939) | an (intelligent) being that is not from Earth |