Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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First date Word Definition
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.
1945 beamer n. (1945) a device (esp. a weapon) that emits a beam of energy
1945 blowup n. (1945) a war that destroys a culture or a large part of the population
1945 first contact n. (1945) the first meeting between two different intelligent species
1945 illo n. (1945) an illustration
1945 kiloday n. (1945) a period of one thousand days
1945 kiloyear n. (1945) a period of one thousand years
1945 mundane adj. 1 (1945) belonging or relating to the world which lies outside the sphere of interest of a particular group of enthusiasts (used esp. among science fiction fans, originally of mainstream fiction)
1945 newfan n. (1945) a fan new to fandom, or to science fiction in general
1945 newfen n. (1945) plural of newfan n.
1945 off-planet adj. (1945) originating on another planet; located away from a (particular) planet
1945 overdrive n. (1945) = hyperdrive n.
1945 planet v. (1945) to land on or arrive at a planet; hence planeted adj.
1945 planet-hopping n. (1945) the action of making (short) trips from one planet to another
1945 psychohistorian n. (1945) an expert in psychohistory n.
1945 robo- prefix (1945) (used to form nouns with the sense β€˜a robotic or automatic ——’)
1945 space platform n. (1945) = space station n.
1945 videophone v. (1945) to call or speak to via videophone n.; to make a call on a videophone n.
1946 braintape n. (1946) a recording of the (entire) contents of a person’s mind
1946 combozine n. (1946) a collection of zines bound or published together, esp. for distribution at a convention
1946 Denebian n. 2 (1946) the language of Denebians
1946 hyperdrive n. (1946) a spaceship drive that enables travel faster than the speed of light; (also) the state of such travel; cf. hyperspace n.
1946 jet car n. (1946) a form of aircar powered by jets