Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
Word | Definition |
---|---|
offworlder n. (1957) | a person or being from another planet; an alien |
omniverse n. (1948) | all universes collectively; cf. multiverse n. 1 |
orbital tower n. (1975) | a structure linking a planet, moon, etc., with a space station or satellite which is in stationary orbit around it; cf. skyhook n. 4 |
organlegger n. (1967) | a person who illegally removes organs from people or corpses and sells them to use for transplantation |
organlegging n. (1969) | the illegal trading of human organs for transplant; cf. organlegger n. |
Orwellian n. (1971) | an admirer of the works and ideas of George Orwell |
Orwellian adj. (1949) | characteristic or suggestive of the writings of George Orwell, esp. of the totalitarian state depicted in his dystopian account of the future, Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) |
other-dimensional adj. (1934) | of or from another dimension |
otherspace n. (1937) | any of various types of space, as hyperspace or subspace, subject to different physical laws than our own; cf. realspace n. |
outer space n. (1842) | the region of space beyond Earth’s atmosphere or beyond the solar system; in extended use: a place or region beyond the usual limits of awareness or accessibility |
out-planet n. (1943) | = outworld n. |
out-planet adj. (1944) | = outworld adj. |
out-system n. (1957) | an area outside of a solar system |
out-system adj. (1949) | of or relating to another solar system; outside of a solar system; cf. in-system adj. |
out-system adv. (1951) | in or toward the outer parts of a solar system; away from a solar system’s star; outside of a solar system; cf. in-system adv. |
outworld n. (1902) | a planet that is remote from the homeworld; a planet far from a solar system’s star |
outworld adj. (1932) | on or from another planet, esp. one remote from the homeworld or far from a solar system’s star |
outworlder n. (1934) | someone from an outworld n.; an alien; an outsider |
out-worldly adj. (1934) | from an outworld n.; foreign, unusual |
overdrive n. (1945) | = hyperdrive n. |
overmind n. (1949) | a single, non-material consciousness composed of the consciousnesses of a large number of beings |
Padawan n. (1973) | in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: an apprentice Jedi; also (often humorously) in extended and allusive use: a youthful, naive, or untrained person |
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 |
paradise planet n. (1948) | a planet regarded as peaceful or beautiful, esp. one having unspoilt natural beauty; cf. pleasure planet n. |
parallel universe n. (1923) | a universe conceived of as existing alongside our own, having many similarities to it but usually differing from it in some significant way (as having a different history or different physical laws) |
parallel world n. (1931) | a world that exists alongside or in addition to the known world; = parallel universe n. |
parking orbit n. (1941) | an orbit around the earth or some other planet from which a space vehicle can be launched farther into space; also, an orbit which is stable and from which visits to the planet surface can conveniently be made |
Peter Parker principle n. (No cites) | see Spider-Man principle n. |
pew n. (1971) | (used to represent the sound of a weapon, esp. a beam weapon) |
phaser n. (1966) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a (usu. hand-held) weapon incorporating an energy beam whose phase can be altered to create different effects (such as stunning, disintegration, etc.) on the target |
photon torpedo n. (1968) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a ship-based weapon in which a destructive force is generated by a collision of matter and antimatter |
plane n. (1927) | = dimension n. |