Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction
Order by: alphabetical | chronological
| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| 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 causes damage by disrupting the molecular bonds of its target |
| 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. |
| droid n. (1952) | a robot, esp. a humanoid one; an android |
| dropshaft n. (1952) | a vertical shaft that uses artificial gravity to move free-floating passengers or freight |
| Dyson sphere n. (1966) | an artificial structure in the form of a hollow shell surrounding a star, built esp. in order to capture the starβs energy output |
| dystopia n. 1 (1952) | a work set in a dystopia n. 2 |
| dystopia n. 2 (1955) | an imaginary place or state of affairs in which there is great suffering or injustice, esp. as the result of a totalitarian or dehumanizing political state; the genre of fiction set in such a situation; cf. utopia n. |
| dystopian n. (1868) | one who advocates or describes a dystopia n. 2 |
| dystopian adj. (1953) | of or pertaining to a dystopia n. 2 |
| dystopianism n. (1962) | dystopian quality or characteristics |
| dystopic adj. (1967) | of, pertaining to, or resembling a dystopia n. 2 |
| Earthan n. (1929) | Earthian n. 1; (also) Earthian n. 2 |
| Earthan adj. (1953) | = Earthian adj. |
| earthborn n. (1940) | a person born on Earth; people born on Earth collectively |
| earthborn adj. (1900) | originating on Earth, as opposed to outer space or another celestial body |
| Earthbound adj. 1 (1928) | headed toward Earth |
| Earthbound adj. 2 (1930) | based on Earth; unable to leave Earth |
| Earthean n. (1882) | = Earthian n. 1 |
| Earthean adj. (1882) | = Earthian adj. |
| Earther n. (1952) | a native or inhabitant of Earth |
| earthfall n. (1952) | the arrival of a spaceship on the surface of Earth; cf. planetfall n. |
| earth folk n. (1880) | = earth people n. |