Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 1943 | usuform adj. (1943) | of a robot: designed strictly for functional purposes, rather than having an anthropomorphic form |
| 1942 | Asimovian adj. 1 (1942) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing of Isaac Asimov |
| 1942 | asteroid field n. (1942) | a region of space in which there is a high density of asteroids; cf. asteroid belt n. |
| 1942 | colony planet n. (1942) | a planet occupied by settlers (or their descendants) from another planet or area, typically under the political control of the parent state |
| 1942 | Cthulhu mythos n. (1942) | the fictional universe used as the setting for a range of works by H.P. Lovecraft, later used as a shared world |
| 1942 | Denebian n. 1 (1942) | a native or inhabitant of the Deneb system |
| 1942 | Denebian adj. (1942) | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Deneb system or its inhabitants |
| 1942 | Earth-norm adj. (1942) | = Earth-normal adj. |
| 1942 | Encyclopedia Galactica n. (1942) | any of various reference works that aim to include all knowledge in a galaxy |
| 1942 | esper n. (1942) | a person or being with extrasensory powers |
| 1942 | everywhen n. (1942) | (in time-travel contexts) all points in time |
| 1942 | fanarchist n. (1942) | a fan who shuns organized fandom; a fan who believes in fanarchy n. |
| 1942 | fanarchy n. (1942) | a juxtaposition of fandom and anarchy; (specif. and usu.) an opposition to organized fandom; a preference for individual or small-group fan activities |
| 1942 | fanne n. (1942) | a female fan |
| 1942 | gadget story n. (1942) | a story in which the primary focus is on inventions or the process of inventing |
| 1942 | galactic n. 2 (1942) | an inhabitant of a galaxy; a member of a galaxy-wide civilization |
| 1942 | gyrocab n. (1942) | a flying taxi |
| 1942 | hull v. (1942) | (usu. passive) to rupture the hull of a spaceship (cf. slightly earlier hulled adj.) |
| 1942 | letterhack n. (1942) | a fan who frequently writes letters to magazine or fanzine letter columns |
| 1942 | neuronic adj. (1942) | designating a weapon that causes pain (but usu. not lasting injury) by stimulating the nervous system or brain |
| 1942 | nova n. (1942) | to go nova (of a star) to become a nova; (more generally, of a star, planet, etc.) to explode (also used figuratively) |
| 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 Asimov’s 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 |