Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| planetary romance n. (1978) | a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on adventures taken on a planetβs surface, especially in which the description of the planet is integral to the story; a work in this subgenre |
| planet-bound adj. (1944) | unable or unwilling to leave a planet |
| planet-buster n. (1950) | a bomb or other weapon capable of destroying a planet |
| planet dweller n. (1931) | a person who lives on a planet, rather than in space |
| Planet Earth n. (1858) | (without the), the earth, as distinct from the rest of the universe, esp. when considered as the planet on which humans live, or on which living organisms form an ecological system; the whole world |
| planeteer n. (1918) | someone who travels to or explores other planets |
| planetfall n. (1940) | a landing upon a planet after a journey through space |
| planet hop n. (1948) | a (short) trip made from one planet to another |
| planet-hop v. (1953) | to travel from one planet to another, esp. in short trips; cf. slightly earlier planet-hopper n. 1 |
| planet-hopper n. 1 (1936) | a person who planet-hops |
| planet-hopper n. 2 (1959) | a small spacecraft used esp. for short journeys between nearby planets, in contrast to one used for interstellar travel |
| planet-hopping n. (1945) | the action of making (short) trips from one planet to another |
| planet-hopping adj. (1946) | that planet-hops; of or relating to planet-hopping n. |
| planetless adj. (1929) | of a star: having no orbiting planets; (occasionally, of people) having no home planet; homeless in space |
| planetman n. (1937) | a person from oneβs home planet n. |
| planetographer n. (1937) | one who studies or maps planets |
| planetography n. (1941) | the study of the geography or physical features of planets |
| planetquake n. (1887) | seismic activity on the surface of a planet, especially one other than Earth |
| planetscape n. (1940) | the surface geography of a planet |
| planetside n. (1959) | the surface of a planet; a base or other installation on a planet |
| planetside adj. (1955) | located or occurring on the surface of a planet |
| planetside adv. (1952) | on or onto the surface of a planet |
| planet-wide adj. (1932) | extending over or affecting an entire planet |
| planet-wide adv. (1933) | on, over, or throughout an entire planet |
| Planet X n. (1976) | (an arbitrary designation for) an unknown or hypothetical alien planet |
| 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) |
| plastiskin n. (1949) | synthetic skin |
| pleasure planet n. (1939) | a planet that is pleasurable to visit, esp. one that functions chiefly as a resort; cf. paradise planet n. |
| Plutonian n. 1 (1931) | a native or inhabitant of Pluto |
| Plutonian n. 2 (1950) | the language of Plutonians |
| Plutonian adj. (1931) | pertaining to the planet Pluto |
| pocket universe n. (1946) | a universe or reality completely separate from ours which is much smaller, may have different natural laws, and may be artificially created |
| pod person n. (1956) | an alien, a monster; a person considered to be conformist, unoriginal, or emotionless; one who lacks personality or individuality |
| port n. (1932) | = spaceport n. |
| portal n. (1931) | a means of entering another dimension or an alternate universe, or of travelling instantaneously from one place or time to another, often portrayed as a door or other structure that may be passed through; cf. gate n. |
| porthole n. (1911) | a small window in a spacecraft |
| positronic adj. (1936) | related to or designed to use positrons |
| post-apocalypse adj. (1968) | = post-apocalyptic adj. |