Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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First date Word Definition
1972 uptime adj. (1972) esp. in time-travel contexts: in or from the future; cf. downtime adj.
1972 xenopsychology n. (1972) the psychology of alien races
1973 AI n. (1973) a sentient computer; = artificial intelligence n.
1973 gamer n. (1973) a participant in a war-game or role-playing game; a player or creator of such games
1973 holovid n. (1973) a holographic video; a device or system that displays or records holographic videos; cf. holovision n.
1973 Jedi n. (1973) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: a member of an order of heroic, skilled warrior monks who are able to harness the mystical power of the Force. Also in extended and allusive use; esp. someone (humorously) credited with great skill or preternatural powers. Also more fully Jedi knight, Jedi master
1973 multiverse n. 2 (1973) in figurative use: a sphere of very varied possibility, such as the mind or the imagination
1973 Padawan n. (1973) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: an apprentice Jedi; also (often humorously) in extended and allusive use: a youthful, naive, or untrained person
1973 realspace n. (1973) the ordinary universe; space that exists outside of hyperspace, wormholes, or other notional regions used for faster-than-light travel; cf. otherspace n.
1973 SFX n. (1973) special effects
1973 shapechange v. (1973) to change shape, by an imagined natural capability, and adopt the form and sometimes abilities of an animal or other being
1973 skiffy n. (1973) = sci-fi adj.
1973 starfaring n. (1973) interstellar traveling
1973 vibroknife n. (1973) = vibroblade n.
1974 commlink n. (1974) a communication link; a communication device
1974 Darth n. 1 (1974) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: (used as a title before the name of a Sith Lord)
1974 Force n. (1974) (with the) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: a mystical universal energy field which certain individuals, such as the Jedi, can harness to gain special powers or abilities
1974 hobbit-hole n. (1974) a hobbit’s house; any small cozy house
1974 nanotechnology n. (1974) the branch of technology that deals with dimensions and tolerances of 0.1 to 100 nanometres, or, generally, with the manipulation of individual atoms and molecules
1974 nearside n. (1974) the part of a moon that faces the planet it orbits; cf. farside n.
1974 uchronian adj. (1974) of or relating to uchronias
1974 Wookiee n. (1974) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: (a member of) a race of tall, hairy, humanoid aliens
1975 cryostasis n. (1975) a frozen state of a person or body induced in order to preserve it for long periods; cryosuspension n.
1975 Dark Side n. 2 (1975) the force of evil
1975 ecotopia n. (1975) a place, society, or condition thought to resemble Ecotopia; a place or state which is utopian from an ecological perspective
1975 fix-up n. (1975) a novel constructed from shorter material written separately
1975 holocamera n. (1975) = holocam n.
1975 lightsaber n. (1975) in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise: a weapon resembling a sword, but having a destructive beam of light in place of a blade
1975 non-genre adj. (1975) not science fiction, fantasy, or horror; = mainstream adj.
1975 orbital tower n. (1975) a structure linking a planet, moon, etc., with a space station or satellite which is in stationary orbit around it; cf. skyhook n. 4
1975 shipmind n. (1975) an intelligent entity (alien or computer-based) that helps control a spacecraft