Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| relaxacon n. (1956) | a science fiction convention with few or no fixed program events or organized activities |
| relaxicon n. (No cites) | see relaxacon n. |
| replicant n. 1 (1980) | an artificial being in the form of a human or other creature; an android |
| replicant n. 2 (1987) | a person who acts or behaves like a replicant n. 1, esp. in imitating or resembling others; a conformist person; a clone |
| retcon n. (1989) | in a fictional work or series: a piece of new (and typically revelatory) information which imposes a different interpretation on previously described events, often employed to facilitate a dramatic plot shift or account for an inconsistency; (also) use of this as a narrative device |
| retcon v. (1989) | to revise retrospectively (an aspect of a fictional work or series), typically by means of a revelation which imposes a different interpretation on previously described events; cf. retcon n. |
| retro-futurism n. (1988) | (the use of) a style or aesthetic considered futuristic in an earlier era, typically having both retro and futuristic elements |
| retro-futurist adj. (1981) | = retro-futuristic adj. |
| retro-futuristic adj. (1983) | having both retro and futuristic elements; of or resembling a style or aesthetic considered futuristic in an earlier era |
| Rhean n. (1939) | a native or inhabitant of the Saturnian moon Rhea; (also) the language of Rheans |
| Rhean adj. (1937) | of or relating to the Saturnian moon Rhea |
| Rigellian n. 1 (1937) | a native or inhabitant of the Rigel system |
| Rigellian n. 2 (1950) | the language of Rigellians |
| Rigellian adj. (1937) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the Rigel system or its inhabitants |
| rimworld n. (1955) | a planet orbiting a star near the edge of a galaxy, typically regarded as being isolated from mainstream galactic culture |
| ringwall n. (1942) | a roughly circular ring of cliffs or mountains surrounding an area such as an impact crater or a lunar mare |
| robo- prefix (1945) | (used to form nouns with the sense ‘a robotic or automatic ——’) |
| robocop n. (1957) | a robotic or bionic law enforcement officer |
| robot n. (1920) | a (semi-)intelligent artificial being typically made of metal and resembling in some way a human or other animal |
| robotic n. (1950) | a robot; a robotic device |
| robotic adj. (1927) | of the nature of a robot; of or relating to robots; (also) that is a robot; automated |
| robotical adj. (1940) | of or relating to robots; (also) suggestive of a robot; mechanical |
| robotically adv. 1 (1924) | in the manner of a robot; mechanically; without emotion |
| robotically adv. 2 (1953) | by means of a robot or robotics |
| roboticist n. (1942) | a scientist or engineer who studies or works with robots |
| roboticized adj. (1952) | that is or has been made robotic |
| robotics n. (1941) | the technology or science of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots and similar automatic devices |
| robotrix n. (1933) | a robot assigned a female identity; a robot having female or feminine characteristics |
| rocketeer n. (1928) | a person who experiments with, pilots, or travels in a rocket |