Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | plasteel n. (1942) | an artificial material that combines some of the qualities of plastic (such as lightness or transparency) with some of the qualities of steel (such as hardness or strength) |
| 1942 | pressor ray n. (1942) | = pressor beam n. |
| 1942 | prozine n. (1942) | a professional magazine, as opposed to an amateur fanzine; = promag n. |
| 1942 | pseudogravitational adj. (1942) | of or relating to pseudogravity n. |
| 1942 | psi n. (1942) | (often in combinations) paranormal phenomena or faculties collectively; the psychic force supposed to be manifested by these; cf. psionic adj., psionics n. |
| 1942 | psychohistory n. (1942) | Isaac Asimovβs term for: a hypothetical science using a combination of history, psychology, and statistics to make long-term predictions about large groups or populations |
| 1942 | reaction drive n. (1942) | a propulsion system for a slower-than-light spacecraft that generates thrust by ejecting matter in a direction opposite that of travel |
| 1942 | ringwall n. (1942) | a roughly circular ring of cliffs or mountains surrounding an area such as an impact crater or a lunar mare |
| 1942 | roboticist n. (1942) | a scientist or engineer who studies or works with robots |
| 1942 | seetee n. (1942) | = contraterrene matter |
| 1942 | slideway n. (1942) | = slidewalk n. |
| 1942 | solar n. (1942) | a unit of currency, esp. one used throughout a solar system; cf. earlier sol n. 2 |
| 1942 | space-bound adj. 2 (1942) | headed to space |
| 1942 | space-burned adj. (1942) | having a space burn n.; cf. space-tanned adj. |
| 1942 | spacefaring adj. (1942) | that travels, or is able to travel, in space; that is used during or pertains to space travel |
| 1942 | spacefaring n. (1942) | the action of travelling in space |
| 1942 | spacing n. 1 (1942) | the act of travelling in space; (also) the profession of working in space |
| 1942 | stasis field n. (1942) | an enclosed area within which time is stopped |
| 1942 | stfcon n. (1942) | a science fiction fan convention |
| 1942 | supernova n. (1942) | to go supernova (of a star) to become a supernova; (more generally, of a star, planet, etc.) to explode (also used figuratively) |
| 1942 | terraform v. (1942) | to transform (a planet or environment) by terraforming n. |
| 1942 | terraformed adj. (1942) | of an environment or planet: transformed by terraforming n. |
| 1942 | terraformer n. (1942) | one who engages in terraforming n.; (in 1942 quot.) a device that is used for terraforming |
| 1942 | terraforming n. (1942) | the process of transforming a planet into one sufficiently similar to Earth to support Earth life-forms, esp. humans |
| 1942 | time paradox n. (1942) | a paradox caused by an action of a time traveller which alters history so that the action is no longer logically possible or sensible, such as travelling into the past to kill a dictator which leads to a peaceful world from which the time traveller would have had no reason to depart; cf. grandfather paradox n., temporal paradox n. |
| 1942 | time storm n. (1942) | a disturbance in time that can bring people and things from different times into the same timeline; cf. timequake n., time-slip n. |
| 1942 | tri-dim n. (1942) | a device or system capable of transmitting or displaying a three dimensional image; (also) a three-dimensional image or video; = tri-D n. |
| 1942 | Vegan n. 2 (1942) | the language of Vegans |
| 1942 | Vestan n. (1942) | a native or inhabitant of the asteroid Vesta |
| 1942 | waldo n. (1942) | a remotely operated body, arm, etc., used variously to extend the userβs natural abilities, perform work in an inhospitable environment or at a distance, etc. |
| 1942 | Worldcon n. (1942) | the annual World Science Fiction Convention |
| 1943 | alternative world n. (1943) | = alternate world n. |
| 1943 | atomics n. 2 (1943) | atomic weapons |
| 1943 | Centaurian n. 2 (1943) | the language of Centaurians |
| 1943 | Earthian n. 2 (1943) | a language spoken on Earth, esp. a universal language spoken widely by Earth people |
| 1943 | elsewhen n. (1943) | (in time-travel contexts) another time |