Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1943 | everywhen adv. (1943) | (in time-travel contexts) in or to all points in time |
| 1943 | fannishness n. (1943) | the quality of being fannish |
| 1943 | Gernsbackian adj. (1943) | of, relating to, or characteristic of Hugo Gernsback, and esp. of the writing that appeared in the magazines he edited, esp. in featuring extensive discussions of scientific or technological issues |
| 1943 | helicab n. (1943) | a helicopter serving as a taxi |
| 1943 | hooman n. (1943) | a human (used by, or in (implied) reference to, non-humans) |
| 1943 | kryptonite n. (1943) | in the fictional world of the comic book hero Superman: a substance that renders Superman weak when he is exposed to it; (hence, in figurative or allusive use) something that can weaken or damage a particular person or thing; an Achilles heel |
| 1943 | mag- prefix (1943) | magnetic |
| 1943 | needle v. (1943) | to fire a needle gun or needle-beam at |
| 1943 | offworld adv. (1943) | away from Earth, or any place treated within a given fictional context as the native world; on or towards another world or planet |
| 1943 | out-planet n. (1943) | = outworld n. |
| 1943 | probability world n. (1943) | an alternate universe, viewed as one of many such which have differing probabilities of existing |
| 1943 | slan shack n. (1943) | a dwelling inhabited by two or more science fiction fans |
| 1943 | sol-type adj. (1943) | of the same class of star as Sol n. 1 |
| 1943 | space capsule n. (1943) | a small spacecraft, or self-contained section of a larger one, containing the instruments or crew for a space flight |
| 1943 | space epic n. (1943) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven plots set in outer space; a work in this genre; cf. space opera n. |
| 1943 | unfannish adj. (1943) | (of a person) failing to be fannish; not having the attributes of a dedicated or obsessive fan; (also, of writing, organizations, etc.) not interesting to or characteristic of dedicated fans |
| 1944 | alternate world n. (1944) | one of many possible universes, which may have different physical laws or a different history than our own |
| 1944 | alternative universe n. (1944) | = alternate world n. |
| 1944 | completism n. (1944) | the desire to have or collect a complete set of something |
| 1944 | egoboo n. (1944) | the gratification of seeing oneβs name in print |
| 1944 | fanarchistic adj. (1944) | preferring to avoid organized forms of fandom |
| 1944 | gravitics n. 1 (1944) | the science of studying or controlling gravity |
| 1944 | hobbitry n. (1944) | the culture or behaviour of hobbits; hobbits collectively, or their qualities |
| 1944 | Law of Robotics n. (1944) | in the writing of Isaac Asimov: each of three (later sometimes four) rules devised to govern the behaviour of robots |
| 1944 | Lovecraftian n. (1944) | a devotee or follower of H.P. Lovecraft |
| 1944 | moonport n. (1944) | a spaceport on the Moon |
| 1944 | neofan n. (1944) | a newly recruited or newly active fan |
| 1944 | out-planet adj. (1944) | = outworld adj. |
| 1944 | planet-bound adj. (1944) | unable or unwilling to leave a planet |
| 1944 | slidewalk n. (1944) | a moving pavement |
| 1944 | space-born adj. 2 (1944) | (of something non-living) developed or created in space, rather than on a planet; originating in space |
| 1944 | starbase n. (1944) | an outpost in space, or on a planet remote from the homeworld, used to facilitate military, governmental, or commercial activities |
| 1944 | stfdom n. (1944) | the realm of science fiction |
| 1944 | teleport v. 2 (1944) | intransitive to transport oneself instantaneously from one place to another; to travel by teleportation; (also) to be transported in this way, esp. by means of an advanced technological device |
| 1944 | Terran n. 2 (1944) | a common language spoken on Earth or by Earthlings |
| 1944 | Terrestrial n. 2 (1944) | a language or dialect spoken on Earth; a universal language spoken widely by Earth people; Earthian n. 2, Terran n. 2 |
| 1944 | unhuman n. (1944) | an intelligent nonhuman entity; alien n.; cf. non-human n. |