Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | meatspace n. (1993) | the physical world, in contrast to cyberspace or a virtual environment; cf. slightly earlier meat world n. |
| 1993 | ob- prefix (1993) | denoting 'obligatory or expected reference to' a topic |
| 1993 | steampunkish adj. (1993) | of, pertaining to, or characteristic of steampunk n. 2 |
| 1992 | inertial damper n. (1992) | a device or system that partially negates the effects of inertia, used especially to protect those on board a spaceship from the effects of rapid changes in acceleration |
| 1992 | meat world n. (1992) | = meatspace n. |
| 1992 | metaverse n. (1992) | a computer-generated environment within which users can interact with one another and their surroundings, a virtual world; (more generally) the notional environment in which users of networked computers interact; = cyberspace n. |
| 1991 | beast mode n. (1991) | in a video game: a (temporary) state in which a human transforms into an animal or mythical creature, typically having extra power or skills; (hence) a (temporary) state of aggression or great performance |
| 1991 | biopunk n. (1991) | a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on the societal effects of biotechnology and genetic engineering |
| 1991 | conlang n. (1991) | an artificially created language; esp. a language invented to represent the speech of an alien race |
| 1991 | counterfactual n. (1991) | a work of alternate history n. |
| 1991 | morph v. 1 (1991) | intransitive (of something physical, esp. a sentient being) to change shape or form; = shapeshift v. |
| 1991 | sharecrop n. (1991) | fiction set in a universe that was created by (and is sometimes under license from) another, typically more-established, author |
| 1990 | Asimovian adj. 2 (1990) | (of a robot or AI) governed by the Laws of Robotics |
| 1990 | con crud n. (1990) | an illness (esp. a cold) suffered while or shortly after attending an SF convention |
| 1990 | morph n. (1990) | an artificial or duplicate body |
| 1990 | morphing n. (1990) | the action or process that occurs when something morphs |
| 1990 | nanotech n. (1990) | = nanotechnology n. |
| 1990 | neurolink n. (1990) | a technologically based communication connection between a (human) brain and a computer system; a device providing such a connection; cf. jack in v. |
| 1990 | superluminal adv. (1990) | at a superluminal speed |
| 1989 | Borg n. (1989) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a group of cybernetically enhanced aliens linked in a hive mind n. |
| 1989 | cyberpunkish adj. (1989) | resembling or reminiscent of cyberpunk n. 1 |
| 1989 | cyborging n. (1989) | the process of converting a biological organism into a cyborg |
| 1989 | cyborgized adj. (1989) | (of a biological organism) made into a cyborg n. |
| 1989 | datasphere n. (1989) | the notional environment in which digital data is stored; esp. the internet viewed in this way; (also) the realm of virtual reality; cyberspace n. |
| 1989 | gengineer v. (1989) | to produce, develop, or alter through genetic engineering n. |
| 1989 | kilohour n. (1989) | a period of one thousand hours |
| 1989 | nanite n. (1989) | a nanomachine designed to build other nanomachines; a self-reproducing nanorobot |
| 1989 | nanobot n. (1989) | a nanoscale self-propelled machine, esp. one that has some degree of autonomy and can reproduce |
| 1989 | postcyberpunk adj. (1989) | of or pertaining a subgenre of science fiction that employs some of cyberpunk's themes, especially the exploration of the effects of a high rate of technological change on society, but rejects the alienation and dystopianism of cyberpunk |
| 1989 | 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 |
| 1989 | 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. |
| 1989 | sharecropped adj. (1989) | having the quality of a sharecrop n. |
| 1989 | slipstream n. (1989) | fiction which, while not classified as science fiction, engages to some extent with scientific or futuristic subject matter, esp. such fiction regarded as constituting an identifiable genre; this genre of fiction |
| 1988 | nanorobot n. (1988) | = nanobot n. |
| 1988 | smeg v. (1988) | in the British TV series Red Dwarf: (used as a mild expletive) |
| 1988 | smeg n. (1988) | in the British TV series Red Dwarf: (used as a mild expletive) |