Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| bot n. (1969) | a robot |
| Bradburian adj. (1951) | = Bradburyish adj. |
| Bradburyesque adj. (1948) | = Bradburyish adj. |
| Bradburyish adj. (1948) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing of Ray Bradbury, esp. in focusing on psychological concerns (often based on the presumed simplicity of personal interactions) rather than technological developments |
| braintape n. (1946) | a recording of the (entire) contents of a personβs mind |
| Buck Rogers adj. (1934) | = science fictional adj.; (specif.) characteristic of hackneyed or dated science fiction |
| bug-eyed monster n. (1939) | a monstrous alien with bulging eyes, esp. as a clichΓ©d subject for cover illustrations in early science fiction magazines; cf. BEM n. |
| bullet time n. (1999) | a video effect in which the camera appears to move around a stationary or very slow-moving subject |
| Callistan n. 1 (1932) | a native or inhabitant of the Jovian moon Callisto; cf. slightly earlier Callistonian n. |
| Callistan n. 2 (1937) | the language of Callistans |
| Callistan adj. (1933) | of or relating to the Jovian moon Callisto or its inhabitants; cf. slightly earlier Callistonian adj. |
| Callistonian n. (1930) | = Callistan n. 1 |
| Callistonian adj. (1930) | = Callistan adj. |
| Campbellian adj. (1949) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing that appeared in the magazines edited by John W. Campbell, esp. in featuring heroic characters in technologically advanced scenarios |
| Capellan n. 1 (1929) | a native or inhabitant of the Capella system |
| Capellan n. 2 (1950) | the language of Capellans |
| Capellan adj. (1947) | of or relating to the Capella system or its inhabitants |
| carbon-based adj. (1939) | based on the chemistry of carbon compounds (usually describing life as we know it on Earth, in contrast with with theoretical forms of life based on other chemical elements, as silicon) |
| carbonite n. (1980) | a carbon-based material in which a person can be cryogenically preserved |
| catastrophe adj. (1948) | = disaster adj. |
| Centaurian n. 1 (1931) | a native or inhabitant of the constellation Centaurus or of a star system within it, esp. Alpha Centauri; cf. Alpha Centaurian n. |
| Centaurian n. 2 (1943) | the language of Centaurians |
| Centaurian adj. (1901) | of or relating to the constellation Centaurus or one of its star systems, esp. Alpha Centauri, or its inhabitants; cf. Alpha Centaurian adj. |
| Cerean n. (1883) | a native or inhabitant of the dwarf planet Ceres |
| Cerean adj. (1883) | of or relating to the dwarf planet Ceres or its inhabitants |
| changewar n. (1958) | a conflict in which participants engage in time travel in order to alter history to effect a desired timeline |
| Chicon n. (1940) | a SF convention held in Chicago, esp. the 1940 Chicago Science Fiction Convention |
| chrononaut n. (1960) | = time traveller n. |
| chronoscope n. (1936) | a device for viewing events in the past or future |