Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | planet hop n. (1948) | a (short) trip made from one planet to another |
| 1948 | precog v. (1948) | to predict the future; to predict (something) in the future |
| 1948 | science fantasy n. 3 (1948) | a genre which combines elements of science fiction and fantasy; a work in this genre |
| 1948 | space ark n. (1948) | a large ship designed to move or rescue large numbers of people, often with large ecosystems and many animals and plants on board |
| 1948 | space-pale adj. (1948) | pale from being in space; cf. space-tanned adj. |
| 1948 | star drive n. (1948) | a propulsion device for a spaceship capable of interstellar travel, esp. one that permits the ship to travel faster than light; cf. earlier space drive n. |
| 1948 | subetherics n. (1948) | a device which uses sub-ether (esp. with allusion to a means of faster-than-light communication) |
| 1948 | suit up v. (1948) | to put on a spacesuit |
| 1948 | teleporting adj. (1948) | capable of teleportation n.; causing teleportation n. |
| 1948 | three-D n. (1948) | a device or system capable of transmitting or displaying a three dimensional image or video; (also) a three-dimensional image or video; cf. tri-D n. |
| 1948 | warp drive n. (1948) | a device by which a spaceship is enabled to travel through space by means of a space warp; a faster-than-light drive |
| 1949 | Campbellian adj. (1949) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing that appeared in the magazines edited by John W. Campbell, esp. in featuring heroic characters in technologically advanced scenarios |
| 1949 | disaster adj. (1949) | designating a genre that deals with a global catastrophe (natural, man-made, or extraterrestrial in origin) and its aftermath |
| 1949 | Earthside adj. (1949) | of, relating to, or from Earth |
| 1949 | esp v. (1949) | to use extrasensory powers (on); as: to communicate with (a person) telepathically; to send (a message) telepathically; to analyze (a person, place, etc.) using extrasensory powers |
| 1949 | fugghead n. (1949) | a stupid, obnoxious, or incompetent person |
| 1949 | fuggheaded adj. (1949) | stupid; obnoxious; incompetent |
| 1949 | fuggheadedness n. (1949) | the quality of being stupid, obnoxious, or incompetent |
| 1949 | galaxy-wide adv. (1949) | across or extending throughout a galaxy |
| 1949 | gee n. 1 (1949) | a measure of gravitation or acceleration |
| 1949 | newspeak n. (1949) | the artificial language used for official propaganda in the dystopia of Orwellβs novel Nineteen Eighty-Four; (hence) any form of English regarded as dishonest, corrupt, etc.; esp. ambiguous or euphemistic language as used in official pronouncements or political propaganda |
| 1949 | nova v. (1949) | to cause to become a nova; to destroy (a star, planet, etc.); (intransitive): (of a star) to become a nova; (more generally, of a star, planet, etc.) to explode |
| 1949 | Orwellian adj. (1949) | characteristic or suggestive of the writings of George Orwell, esp. of the totalitarian state depicted in his dystopian account of the future, Nineteen Eighty-four (1949) |
| 1949 | out-system adj. (1949) | of or relating to another solar system; outside of a solar system; cf. in-system adj. |
| 1949 | overmind n. (1949) | a single, non-material consciousness composed of the consciousnesses of a large number of beings |
| 1949 | plastiskin n. (1949) | synthetic skin |
| 1949 | prespace adj. (1949) | = pre-spaceflight adj. |
| 1949 | science-fictioner n. (1949) | a science fiction film or TV show |
| 1949 | Sirian n. 2 (1949) | the language of Sirians |
| 1949 | skimmer n. (1949) | any of various small vehicles that fly relatively close to the ground, esp. by means of an anti-gravity propulsion system |
| 1949 | space probe n. (1949) | an unmanned spacecraft used esp. for research or reconnaissance |
| 1949 | stun-gun v. (1949) | to shoot with a stun gun n. |