Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| shuttlecraft n. (1953) | = shuttle n. |
| Singularity n. (1983) | usually with the: the point at which technological innovation radically transforms society, esp. the point at which artificial general intelligence outpaces human intelligence; the transition to posthumanity |
| Sirian n. 1 (1834) | a native or inhabitant of the Sirius system |
| Sirian n. 2 (1949) | the language of Sirians |
| Sirian adj. (1876) | of or relating to the Sirius system or its inhabitants |
| skiffy n. (1973) | = sci-fi adj. |
| skimmer n. (1949) | any of various small vehicles that fly relatively close to the ground, esp. by means of an anti-gravity propulsion system |
| skin job n. 1 (1958) | a skin transplant (esp. for the purpose of changing or concealing one’s identity); cosmetic surgery performed on the skin |
| skin job n. 2 (1981) | a robot that has skin; (spec.) an android that cannot easily be distinguished from a human |
| skinsuit n. (1957) | a thin, tight-fitting spacesuit, often intended for short-term or emergency use |
| skyhook n. 1 (1888) | an imaginary device for attaching something to the sky |
| skyhook n. 2 (1939) | a hook on an aircraft or spaceship capable of lifting burdens |
| skyhook n. 3 (1951) | any of various objects that are fairly high relative to a planet’s surface, as a balloon or an orbiting space platform |
| skyhook n. 4 (1966) | = orbital tower n. |
| slan n. (1940) | a science fiction fan: used in self-reference |
| slan shack n. (1943) | a dwelling inhabited by two or more science fiction fans |
| slash n. (1984) | a subgenre of fan fiction, originally published in fanzines and now esp. online, in which characters who appear together in popular films or other media are portrayed as having a sexual (esp. homosexual) relationship |
| sleeper ship n. (1968) | a spaceship in which most or all of the passengers are in some form of suspended animation such as cold sleep in order to avoid aging during a very long voyage |
| slidewalk n. (1944) | a moving pavement |
| slideway n. (1942) | = slidewalk n. |
| 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 |
| slipstreamer n. (1997) | a writer of slipstream fiction |
| slipstreamy adj. (1995) | having the characteristics or qualities of slipstream n. |
| slugthrower n. (1954) | a weapon that fires a physical projectile, in contrast to an energy weapon n. |
| smeg n. (1988) | in the British TV series Red Dwarf: (used as a mild expletive) |
| smeg v. (1988) | in the British TV series Red Dwarf: (used as a mild expletive) |
| smeghead n. (1988) | in the British TV series Red Dwarf: a foolish or contemptible person |
| smof n. (1970) | a fan who is very active in fandom and in particular with organizing conventions |
| smof v. (1968) | to talk with fans about organizing conventions or related fan activity |
| soft science fiction n. (1977) | science fiction based on the soft sciences (as sociology, anthropology, etc.); (also) science fiction in which the scientific elements are relatively unimportant to the story |
| Sol n. 1 (1929) | the star that Earth orbits; the Sun |
| sol n. 2 (1939) | = solar n. |
| solar n. (1942) | a unit of currency, esp. one used throughout a solar system; cf. earlier sol n. 2 |
| Solarian n. 1 (1834) | a native or inhabitant of Sol n. 1 |
| Solarian n. 2 (1930) | a native or inhabitant of Earth’s solar system |
| Solarian adj. (1930) | pertaining to Earth’s sun, solar system, or their inhabitants |
| solar sail n. (1958) | a surface designed to utilize the pressure of solar radiation to provide the propulsive force for a spacecraft to which it is attached |