Date added | Word | Definition |
---|---|---|
2021-02-18 | Vulcan nerve pinch n. (1968) | a one-handed pinch delivered (chiefly by Vulcans) to the base of a person’s neck that immediately renders the victim unconscious |
2021-02-18 | Vulcan mind meld n. (1968) | = mind-meld n. |
2021-02-18 | Vulcan n. (1966) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a member of a humanoid alien race, characterized by strictly logical and rational thinking and the suppression of normal human emotions; (hence) a person regarded as having similar characteristics |
2021-02-18 | cryosleep n. (1972) | = cold sleep n. |
2021-02-13 | hubward adv. (1977) | (of a rotating or circular body, as a space station) near or towards the center, rather than the edge |
2021-02-12 | thud and blunder n. (1940) | (a disparaging term for) an adventure story that features violent exploits |
2021-02-11 | groundlubber n. (1939) | = groundhog n. |
2021-02-02 | Afrofuturism n. (1993) | a movement in literature, music, art, etc., featuring futuristic or science-fictional themes which incorporate elements of Black (American) history and culture |
2021-01-30 | spindizzy n. (1950) | in James Blish’s City in Flight series: a faster-than-light antigravity drive powered by a field that alters the magnetic rotation of atoms |
2021-01-29 | conlang n. (1991) | an artificially created language; esp. a language invented to represent the speech of an alien race |
2021-01-28 | frak v. (1978) | (a euphemism for) fuck, in various senses and parts of speech |
2021-01-28 | time barrier n. (1933) | something (either inherent or created) that prevents travel through time |
2021-01-27 | wetware n. (1963) | biological structures or systems regarded as analogous to computer equipment; (specif.) the human brain; the mind, esp. when able to be affected or altered by computer processes |
2021-01-27 | flux capacitor n. (1981) | in the film Back to the Future and its sequels: the core component of the time machine made of a DeLorean automobile |
2021-01-27 | anti-agathic adj. (1954) | (of a drug, medical treatment, etc.) that prolongs life |
2021-01-27 | anti-agathic n. (1954) | a drug or other medical treatment that prolongs life |
2021-01-26 | tricorder n. (1966) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a medium-sized hand-held device used for data sensing, analysis, and recording |
2021-01-24 | blast rifle n. (1935) | a long shoulder weapon that fires a destructive beam of energy; cf. blaster n. |
2021-01-23 | space dog n. (1937) | = spacehound n. |
2021-01-23 | space cruiser n. (1925) | a spaceship; = cruiser n. |
2021-01-23 | Borg n. (1989) | in the fictional universe of the Star Trek franchise: a group of cybernetically enhanced aliens linked in a hive mind n. |
2021-01-21 | soma n. (1932) | in Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World: a narcotic drug which produces euphoria and hallucination, distributed by the state in order to control the population by promoting content and social harmony |
2021-01-14 | Clarke’s Law n. (1962) | any of three maxims formulated by Arthur C. Clarke (sometimes specified as Clarke’s First Law, Clarke’s Second Law, Clarke’s Third Law): (a) ‘When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong’ (b) ‘The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.’ (c) ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic’ |
2021-01-14 | space car n. (1928) | = spacecraft n. |
2021-01-13 | spaceboot n. (1932) | footwear intended for use in outer space or on other worlds |
2021-01-06 | skiffy n. (1978) | = sci-fi n. |
2020-12-30 | meat puppet n. (1984) | the human body; a physical human being, esp. in contrast to virtual reality or artificial intelligence |
2020-12-29 | Mary Sue n. (1976) | a writer who inserts an idealized version of themselves in their own fan fiction n.; such a story or character |
2020-12-27 | mind shield n. (1938) | a mental barrier that prevents one’s thoughts from being read by a telepath |
2020-12-27 | subjunctivity n. (1969) | the relationship between reality and something portrayed in a text |
2020-12-26 | pantropy n. (1952) | James Blish’s term for: the modification of humans, esp. by genetic engineering, to make them able to survive in an alien environment |
2020-12-25 | sercon adj. (1955) | of fans or fan activities: (obsessively) concerned with matters of criticism or scholarship, rather than fandom itself; cf. faan n. |
2020-12-25 | sercon n. (1958) | a sercon fan; a sercon item, sercon activities |
2020-12-25 | faanish adj. (1959) | of or relating to fandom, esp. on a superficial level; typical of a faan n. |
2020-12-25 | faan n. (1953) | a science fiction fan, esp. one regarded as non-serious, or devoted more to fandom than to science fiction itself; cf. sercon adj. |
2020-12-24 | earthfall n. (1952) | the arrival of a spaceship on the surface of Earth; cf. planetfall n. |
2020-12-22 | cosy catastrophe n. (No cites) | see catastrophe adj. |
2020-12-22 | regeneration tank n. (1950) | a tank, typically filled with a nutrient bath, in which a person can recover from severe injury, such as the loss of a limb |
2020-12-22 | organlegger n. (1967) | a person who illegally removes organs from people or corpses and sells them to use for transplantation |
2020-12-22 | auton n. (1970) | an autonomous robot or robotic device; (specif. in form Auton) in the British television series Doctor Who: one of a group of malevolent humanoid robots having plastic-like skin |
2020-12-21 | pressor ray n. (1942) | = pressor beam n. |
2020-12-21 | science fantasy n. 2 (1932) | = imaginative fiction |
2020-12-20 | robotic n. (1950) | a robot; a robotic device |
2020-12-20 | robotically adv. 2 (1953) | by means of a robot or robotics |
2020-12-18 | SF/F n. (1981) | science fiction and fantasy, regarded as a single broad genre |
2020-12-17 | slugthrower n. (1954) | a weapon that fires a physical projectile, in contrast to an energy weapon n. |
2020-12-16 | Earth-norm adj. (1942) | = Earth-normal adj. |
2020-12-16 | Earth-normal n. (1932) | a state, amount, or value of something (as gravity or atmospheric pressure) that is typical of what is found on Earth |
2020-12-14 | space-travelling adj. (1930) | capable of space travel; that travels in space |
2020-12-14 | transdimensional adj. (1931) | designating movement between dimensions; involving more than one dimension |