Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

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First date Word Definition
1978 filk v. (1978) among science fiction and fantasy fans: to write or perform filk songs
1978 frak v. (1978) (a euphemism for) fuck, in various senses and parts of speech
1978 infodump n. (1978) a large (often unwieldy or indigestible) amount of information supplied all at once; spec. as background or descriptive information in a narrative
1978 K/S n. (1978) a subgenre of science fiction, originally published in fanzines and now esp. online, in which the Star Trek characters Kirk and Spock are portrayed as having a homosexual relationship; (later) any similar fiction in which a pair of (established) male characters is so portrayed
1978 metahuman n. (1978) a person or being with superpowers; (also) a nonhuman being that resembles a human; a humanoid
1978 military SF n. (1978) = military science fiction n.
1978 planetary romance n. (1978) a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on adventures taken on a planet's surface, especially in which the description of the planet is integral to the story; a work in this subgenre
1978 regeneration n. (1978) in the British television series Doctor Who: the process by which a Time Lord transforms themself into a new physical form, esp. after an experience that would otherwise be fatal; (also) a particular manifestation of a Time Lord
1978 technothriller n. (1978) a thriller which employs science fictional technology or gadgetry
1978 transhuman n. (1978) a person who has gained abilities (as through genetic engineering or cybernetic augmentation) sufficiently advanced that they are regarded as a different species
1978 urban fantasy n. (1978) a genre of fantasy that uses a (modern) city as its primary setting; a work in this genre
1979 Afrofuturist adj. (1979) of, relating to, or characterized by Afrofuturism n.
1979 beanstalk n. (1979) = space elevator n.
1979 coreward adj. (1979) toward the center of a galaxy; cf. core n.
1979 cyborgization n. (1979) the conversion of a biological organism into a cyborg n.
1979 filk singer n. (1979) one who sings filk songs
1979 gameplay n. (1979) the (characteristic) way in which a player interacts with an (electronic) game; the tactical aspects of play, such as rules, plot, etc., as distinct from graphics or sound effects
1979 generation starship n. (1979) = generation ship n.
1979 gravitied adj. 2 (1979) having artificial gravity
1979 gynoid n. (1979) a robot having female or feminine characteristics; = robotrix n.
1979 SF/F/H n. (1979) abbreviation for science fiction, fantasy, and horror
1979 xenocidal adj. (1979) of, pertaining to, or involving xenocide n.
1980 carbonite n. (1980) a carbon-based material in which a person can be cryogenically preserved
1980 Darth n. 2 (1980) (used as a title before the name of someone regarded as evil or an enemy)
1980 replicant n. 1 (1980) an artificial being in the form of a human or other creature; an android
1980 uplift v. (1980) to transform a non-sentient species into a sentient species, esp. by genetic engineering
1980 uplift n. (1980) the making of a sentient species from a non-sentient one, esp. by genetic engineering
1980 uplifting n. (1980) = uplift n.
1980 xenopsychologist n. (1980) a specialist in xenopsychology n.
1981 big dumb object n. (1981) a large, mysterious, alien-made artifact encountered in space or on another world
1981 Clarke belt n. (1981) the ring-shaped region around the Earth containing all possible geostationary orbits
1981 doppel n. (1981) a duplicate version of a person, as a clone, a virtual-reality representation, a shapeshifter, etc.
1981 filker n. (1981) one who sings filk songs; = filk singer n.