Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

Order by: alphabetical | chronological ( asc | desc )



First date Word Definition
1961 starfarer n. (1961) an interstellar traveller
1961 sword and sorcery n. (1961) a subgenre of fantasy n. 1 which describes the adventures of larger-than-life heroes or heroines in bronze-age or medieval settings, and especially their battles with magical or supernatural foes; = heroic fantasy n.
1962 Clarke’s Law n. (1962) any of three maxims formulated by Arthur C. Clarke (sometimes specified as Clarke’s First Law, Clarke’s Second Law, Clarke’s Third Law): (a) ‘When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong’ (b) ‘The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.’ (c) ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’
1962 croggled adj. (1962) astonished, baffled, bewildered
1962 datapad n. (1962) a thin handheld electronic device for viewing and manipulating information; a tablet computer
1962 dystopianism n. (1962) dystopian quality or characteristics
1962 laser cannon n. (1962) a large weapon, similar in size to a cannon, that fires a laser
1962 loc v. (1962) to write a loc (to)
1962 postholocaust adj. (1962) = post-apocalyptic adj.
1962 proto-science fiction n. (1962) literary works, written before the establishment of science fiction as a recognized genre, that prefigure the themes of science fiction, especially ones involving fantastic voyages or technological innovations
1962 sapience n. (1962) (of non-humans) intelligence
1962 tesser v. (1962) in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time: to travel through space by means of a tesseract n.
1962 tesseract n. (1962) in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time: a means of travelling through space by manipulating the dimensions of spacetime
1962 xeno- prefix (1962) (used to form words indicating that the base element is or relates to an alien)
1963 companion n. (1963) in the British television series Doctor Who: any of the usually human characters who (regularly) travel with the Doctor
1963 dalek n. (1963) in the British television series Doctor Who: a member of a race of aggressive alien mutants in mobile armoured casings
1963 laser gun n. (1963) a weapon that fires a laser
1963 laser pistol n. (1963) a hand weapon of similar size to a pistol that fires a laser
1963 laser rifle n. (1963) a long shoulder weapon that fires a laser
1963 light sail n. (1963) = solar sail n.
1963 multiversal adj. (1963) of or pertaining to a multiverse n. 1
1963 multiverse n. 1 (1963) a space or realm of being consisting of a number of universes, of which our own universe is only one; cf. parallel universe n.
1963 mundane n. 2 (1963) a person who is not a science-fiction fan; an outsider
1963 space-fictional n. (1963) resembling or characteristic of space fiction n.
1963 spider sense n. (1963) in the fictional world of the comic book hero Spider-Man: the precognitive ability to anticipate (and react to) dangerous situations beyond the normal range of human senses; (hence, in figurative or allusive use) a premonition; intuition; insight
1963 spidey sense n. (1963) = spider sense n.
1963 TARDIS n. 1 (1963) in the British television series Doctor Who: a time machine having the outward form of a police telephone box; (hence) any means of travelling through time