Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1941 | actifan n. (1941) | someone who is actively involved in fandom |
| 1941 | alternate future n. (1941) | in time-travel contexts: one of a number of possible futures; cf. alternate history; cf. slightly earlier alternative future n. |
| 1941 | alternative reality n. (1941) | = alternate world n. |
| 1941 | Anglofan n. (1941) | a science fiction fan who is a native or resident of the United Kingdom |
| 1941 | antigrav n. (1941) | = antigravity n.; (also) a device that negates the force of gravity |
| 1941 | anywhen adv. (1941) | (in relation to time travel) in or to any point in time |
| 1941 | astrobiology n. (1941) | a branch of biology concerned with the discovery or study of life on the celestial bodies |
| 1941 | astrogate v. (1941) | to navigate in space |
| 1941 | bionic adj. (1941) | of or pertaining to bionics; having or being an artificial, esp. electromechanical, device that replaces part of the body; having ordinary human capabilities increased (as if) by the aid of such devices |
| 1941 | Callistan n. 2 (1941) | the language of Callistans |
| 1941 | cold sleep n. (1941) | a form of suspended animation in which the subjects are kept at very cold temperatures |
| 1941 | contraterrene adj. (1941) | made of, or making use of, antimatter; cf. seetee n., terrene adj. 2 |
| 1941 | dark fantasy n. (1941) | a subgenre of fantasy that features gloomy or frightening themes, incorporating elements of horror n. |
| 1941 | de Campian adj. (1941) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing of L. Sprague de Camp |
| 1941 | Earth-type adj. 2 (1941) | resembling Earth; having characteristics (as atmosphere, temperature, or gravity) that are similar enough to Earth to support human life |
| 1941 | energy weapon n. (1941) | a weapon that fires a beam of energy; cf. earlier energy gun n. |
| 1941 | fan v. (1941) | to participate in fandom; cf. slightly earlier fanning n. |
| 1941 | fanette n. (1941) | a female fan; = fanne n. |
| 1941 | ferry n. (1941) | a small spacecraft used, esp. on a regular schedule, to transport passengers or cargo over a relatively short distance, as between an orbiting craft and a planetβs surface |
| 1941 | flitter n. (1941) | a small usu. short-range aircraft or spaceship |
| 1941 | hulled adj. (1941) | of a spaceship: having a ruptured hull |
| 1941 | intersystem adj. (1941) | (esp. of transportation or communication) occurring between solar systems |
| 1941 | Kornbluthian adj. (1941) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing of Cyril M. Kornbluth |
| 1941 | Loonie n. (1941) | a native or inhabitant of the Moon; = Lunarian n.; Lunite n.; Lunarite n. |
| 1941 | mutation n. (1941) | an organism (occ. a human) that has arisen by genetic mutation; mutant n. |
| 1941 | mutie n. (1941) | = mutant n. |
| 1941 | 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 |
| 1941 | planetography n. (1941) | the study of the geography or physical features of planets |
| 1941 | problem story n. (1941) | a story concerned primarily with the resolution of a (technical) problem |
| 1941 | prodom n. (1941) | the world of professional writing, in contrast to fan writing or activities |
| 1941 | pseudo-gravitation n. (1941) | = pseudogravity n. |
| 1941 | robotics n. (1941) | the technology or science of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots and similar automatic devices |
| 1941 | space cadet n. (1941) | a trainee spaceman or spacewoman; a young astronaut |
| 1941 | space dinghy n. (1941) | a small spaceship; a lifeboat or shuttle |
| 1941 | space opera n. (1941) | a subgenre of science fiction featuring adventure-driven, extravagantly dramatic plots (often including elements of romance) set in outer space; a subgenre of science fiction which uses stock characters and settings, especially those of Westerns translated into outer space; a work in this genre, regarded as being of an unsophisticated or clichΓ©d type |