Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )
| First date | Word | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | tight-beamed adj. (1951) | of a message: sent by means of a tight-beam n. |
| 1951 | triffid n. (1951) | in John Wyndham’s novel The Day of the Triffids: one of a race of malevolent alien plants which threaten to overrun the world |
| 1951 | xenoanthropology n. (1951) | the study of alien cultures |
| 1952 | biocomputer n. (1952) | a computer having components and circuits formed from or modelled on biological molecules or structures |
| 1952 | droid n. (1952) | a robot, esp. a humanoid one; an android |
| 1952 | dropshaft n. (1952) | a vertical shaft that uses artificial gravity to move free-floating passengers or freight |
| 1952 | dystopia n. 1 (1952) | a work set in a dystopia n. 2 |
| 1952 | Earther n. (1952) | a native or inhabitant of Earth |
| 1952 | empathist n. (1952) | = empath n. |
| 1952 | fanac n. (1952) | participation in fandom, such as publishing fanzines, attending conferences, or writing letters to fanzines |
| 1952 | gas giant n. (1952) | a large planet composed mostly of gaseous material thought to surround a solid core; spec. each of the four largest planets in the solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune) |
| 1952 | gravity well n. (1952) | the area of space near a large mass (such as a planet or star) in which significant energy must be expended in order to counteract the object’s gravitational pull; the gravitational pull exerted by a large body in space |
| 1952 | grounder n. (1952) | a person who lives on a planet, rather than in space; = groundhog n. |
| 1952 | jet pack n. (1952) | a device, worn over the shoulders like a backpack, that enables the wearer to travel through the air or in space by means of jet propulsion |
| 1952 | jump v. (1952) | to journey through hyperspace n.; to engage in any (nearly) instantaneous travel over a long distance; cf. jump n. |
| 1952 | medikit n. (1952) | a small collection of equipment and supplies used for emergency medical treatment, a first-aid kit; (also) a device providing automated medical functions |
| 1952 | neo n. (1952) | = neofan n. |
| 1952 | pantropy n. (1952) | James Blish’s term for: the modification of humans, esp. by genetic engineering, to make them able to survive in an alien environment |
| 1952 | planetside adv. (1952) | on or onto the surface of a planet |
| 1952 | pre-spaceflight adj. (1952) | from, or characteristic of, a time before spaceflight |
| 1952 | pseudo-grav n. (1952) | = artificial gravity n.; cf. pseudogravity n. |
| 1952 | realspace n. (1952) | the ordinary universe; space that exists outside of hyperspace, wormholes, or other notional regions esp. as used for faster-than-light travel; cf. earlier otherspace n. |
| 1952 | roboticized adj. (1952) | that is or has been made robotic |
| 1952 | saucer people n. (1952) | = saucerians |
| 1952 | space v. 2 (1952) | to execute (a person) by forcing them into space without a spacesuit |
| 1952 | space biology n. (1952) | the study of biology in outer space or (broadly) in locations other than Earth |
| 1952 | speculative fiction n. 2 (1952) | = imaginative fiction |
| 1952 | Standard n. (1952) | (the name of) a language spoken on multiple worlds or by multiple species; the common language of a group or place; cf. Galactic n. 1 |
| 1952 | telempathy n. (1952) | the psionic ability to sense others’ emotions |
| 1952 | transmat n. (1952) | = matter transmitter n. |
| 1952 | warp speed n. (1952) | a faster-than-light speed, attained by a spaceship with a propulsion mechanism capable of manipulating space-time; (also, in extended use) an extraordinarily high speed |