Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| cyberpunk n. 1 (1984) | a subgenre of science fiction typified by a bleak, high-tech setting in which a lawless subculture exists within an oppressive society dominated by computer technology |
| cyberpunk n. 2 (1984) | an author of, or protagonist in, cyberpunk n. 1 |
| cyberpunkish adj. (1989) | resembling or reminiscent of cyberpunk n. 1 |
| cyberspace n. (1982) | the notional environment within which electronic communication occurs, esp. when represented as the inside of a computer system; space perceived as such by an observer but generated by a computer system and having no real existence; a virtual reality environment |
| cyborg n. (1960) | a living organism whose body has been modified to include both biological and mechanical components |
| cyborg v. (1976) | to make into a cyborg |
| cyborged adj. (1976) | (of a biological organism) made into a cyborg n. |
| cyborging n. (1989) | the process of converting a biological organism into a cyborg |
| cyborgization n. (1994) | the conversion of a biological organism into a cyborg n. |
| cyborgized adj. (1989) | (of a biological organism) made into a cyborg n. |
| cycle n. (1918) | a (specific) interval of time |
| dalek n. (1963) | in the British television series Doctor Who: a member of a race of aggressive alien mutants in mobile armoured casings |
| dark fantasy n. (1941) | a subgenre of fantasy that features gloomy or frightening themes, incorporating elements of horror n. |
| darkside n. 1 (1939) | the side of an object in space (as a spaceship, or a moon or planet) that faces away from the closest star; cf. farside n., nightside n. |
| Dark Side n. 2 (1975) | the force of evil |
| datapad n. (1962) | a thin handheld electronic device for viewing and manipulating information; a tablet computer |
| datasphere n. (1989) | the notional environment in which digital data is stored; esp. the internet viewed in this way; (also) the realm of virtual reality; cyberspace n. |
| dayside n. (1914) | the side of a planet or moon that is in daylight, sometimes in the context of a planet with one side permanently facing its sun |
| death ray n. (1902) | a destructive beam of energy; a device that generates such a beam |
| de Campian adj. (1941) | of, relating to, or characteristic of the writing of L. Sprague de Camp |
| deep space n. (1921) | that part of space far away from planets or stars |
| deep-space adj. (1937) | of or in deep space n. |
| deflector n. (1931) | a force field that protects something (such as a spaceship or a city) from potentially harmful objects or energy; a beam of energy that repels such objects; cf. shield n. |
| different story n. (1919) | esp. in the early pulp era: a science fiction, fantasy, or weird story; an impossible story |
| dimension n. (1896) | a realm of existence coexistent with our own, but which cannot be perceived or accessed by ordinary means and which often possesses different physical laws; cf. alternate world n., parallel universe n., plane n. |
| dimensional adj. (1931) | between dimensions; joining dimensions |
| dirtball n. (1978) | a planet |
| dirtside n. (1955) | the surface of a planet |
| dirtside adv. (1953) | on or to the surface of a planet (as opposed to in space) |
| dirtsider n. (1984) | a person who lives on a planet (in contrast to a person who lives or frequently travels in space) |
| disaster adj. (1975) | designating a genre that deals with a global catastrophe (natural, man-made, or extraterrestrial in origin) and its aftermath |
| disintegrator n. (1898) | a weapon that disintegrates its target |
| disruptor n. (1931) | a type of energy weapon; a weapon that disrupts some function of its target, as an object’s molecular bonds |
| doppel n. (1981) | a duplicate version of a person, as a clone, a virtual-reality representation, a shapeshifter, etc. |
| downtime adj. (1978) | esp. in time-travel contexts: in or from the past; cf. uptime adj. |
| downtime adv. (1972) | esp. in time-travel contexts: in, into, or toward the past; cf. uptime adv. |