Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| secondary world n. (1947) | the setting of a work of fantasy where this setting is different from the real world, but is internally consistent; cf. primary world n. |
| seetee n. (1942) | = contraterrene matter |
| semiprozine n. (1947) | a magazine that is between the levels of fanzine and prozine in some category such as circulation, quality of printing, etc.; a well-produced or widely circulated fanzine |
| sensawunda n. (1961) | = sense of wonder n. |
| sense of wonder n. (1936) | a feeling of awakening or awe brought on by an expansion of oneβs awareness of what may be possible; the primary emotional experience of reading science fiction n. 2; see also sensawunda n. |
| sentience n. 1 (1931) | the condition of being sentient; intelligence; cf. sapience n. |
| sentience n. 2 (1947) | an intelligent being |
| sentient n. (1965) | an intelligent being |
| sentient adj. (1920) | sapient; intelligent |
| sercon n. (1958) | a sercon fan; a sercon item, sercon activities |
| sercon adj. (1955) | of fans or fan activities: (obsessively) concerned with matters of criticism or scholarship, rather than fandom itself; cf. faan n. |
| sf n. (1929) | = science fiction n. 2 |
| sf adj. (1929) | = science fiction adj. |
| SF/F n. (1981) | science fiction and fantasy, regarded as a single broad genre |
| SF/F/H n. (1979) | abbreviation for science fiction, fantasy, and horror |
| sf-ish adj. (1959) | = science-fictionish adj. |
| sfnal adj. (1938) | = science fictional adj. |
| SFX n. (1973) | special effects |
| shaggy god story n. (1965) | a story in which a religious (esp. biblical) myth is explained as having a science fictional origin |
| shapechange n. (1959) | an act or instance of shapechanging |
| shapechange v. (1973) | to change shape, by an imagined natural capability, and adopt the form and sometimes abilities of an animal or other being |
| shapechanger n. (1906) | one who can shapechange |
| shapechanging n. (1864) | the act of or ability to shapechange |
| shapechanging adj. (1621) | pertaining to the act of or ability to shapechange; that shapechanges |
| shapeshift v. (1970) | to change shape, by a natural capability, and adopt the form and sometimes abilities of an animal or other being |
| shapeshifter n. (1939) | one that shapeshifts |
| shapeshifting n. (1882) | the practice or act of changing shape to adopt the form of another animal or human |
| shapeshifting adj. (1895) | pertaining to shapeshifting; that shapeshifts |
| sharecrop n. (1991) | fiction set in a universe that was created by (and is sometimes under license from) another, typically more-established, author |
| sharecrop v. (1994) | to write a sharecrop n. |
| sharecropped adj. (1989) | having the quality of a sharecrop n. |
| sharecropper n. (1987) | a writer of sharecrops |
| sharecropping n. (1987) | the practice of writing sharecrops |
| sharecrop-writer n. (1997) | someone who writes sharecrops |
| shared world n. (1985) | a fictional setting in which multiple authors set their stories, esp. one created for this purpose |
| shield n. (1930) | a force field that protects something (such as a spaceship, a city, or an individual person) from potentially harmful objects or energy; cf. deflector n. |
| ship n. 1 (1898) | a spaceship |
| ship n. 2 (1996) | a romantic pairing of two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction, esp. one which is discussed, portrayed, or advocated by fans rather than depicted in the original work; (also) fans who support a particular pairing, considered collectively |
| ship v. (1998) | transitive to discuss, portray, or advocate a romantic pairing of (two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction), esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the original work; also intransitive |
| shipmind n. (1975) | an intelligent entity (alien or computer-based) that helps control a spacecraft |
| shipper n. (1996) | a person who discusses, portrays, or advocates a romantic pairing of two characters who appear in a work of (serial) fiction, esp. when such a pairing is not depicted in the original work |
| shuttle n. (1930) | a small spacecraft used to transport passengers or cargo over a relatively short distance, as between an orbiting ship and a planetβs surface, or as a lifeboat |
| shuttlecraft n. (1953) | = shuttle n. |