a force field that protects something (such as a spaceship, a city, or an individual person) from potentially harmful objects or energy; cf. deflector n.
The inhabitants of planet three of sun six four seven three Pilarone show unusual development and may cause trouble, as they have already brought knowledge of the metal of power and of the impenetrable shield to the Central System, which is to be our base. Recommend volatilization of this planet by vessel sent on special mission.
‘We can hold the Group off—until we reach Warren. I'll get the shields up…’ Granton caught his shoulder for an instant in a crushing grip. And spoke grimly: ‘See that you do. ’ Barclay nodded speechlessly, swung to the banked control-panel that held within it the interleading conduits of electric force that created fan-beams of crackling force-shields. [both ellipses in original]
Might have been a timed bomb—don’t see how anybody could have stowed away down there through the inspections, and nobody but Franklin can neutralise the shield of the air room—but I'm going to look around, anyway.
Neither ravening ray nor explosive shell could harm him—he had snapped on the protective shield whose generator was always upon his person.
Momentum carried him a fractional inch into it. Then his kinetic energy had been absorbed, taken up by the field itself and shunted to the power pack. As for the noise, none could penetrate the shield.
The shield unit dragged at his shoulders; ten pounds added up like fury when you were exhausted.
He pulled a shield belt from the table, buckled it fast around his waist.
‘One must always remember that the shield turns the fast blow and admits the slow kindjal!’ Paul snapped up the rapier, feinted fast and whipped it back in a slow thrust timed precisely to enter a shield’s mindless defenses.
Some kind of ‘meteoroid shield’ or ‘meteoroid force field deflector’ will be necessary in true spaceships.
When the deflector shield (or ‘screen’, as it is sometimes called) is operating, the ship’s transporters cannot be used.
Our new weaponry will shred those obsolete defensive shields of yours, I promise you that.
Captain, they’re firing! Raise shields!
Life is menaced by ultraviolet radiation streaming through a leaky ozone shield.
‘With the shields at twenty percent, even a small impact could prove disastrous.’ Tuvok spoke the obvious with the sincerity of a man giving a speech before the Federation.
Every ounce of power B’Elanna could find in the poor, beat-up shuttle she directed at the forward shields, but she knew it would never be enough.
antedating 1930
in Doc Smith's "Skylark Three"
(There are no cites in the OED in the sf sense.)
Last modified 2021-01-12 01:48:48
In the compilation of some
entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries
in OED.