subetheric adj.

of, relating to, or involving a sub-ether n. (esp. with allusion to a means of faster-than-light communication)

FTL

Communications

  • [1914 Theosophist June 318

    All the varieties of matter in any world—those which in our physical world we call ‘states of matter’, solid, liquid, gaseous, sub-etheric, etheric, sub-atomic—are all formed of aggregations of the ultimate atom.]

  • 1938 J. Williamson Legion of Time in Astounding Science-Fiction May 22/2 Jack Williamson

    Mere probability is all that is left. And my first actual invention was a geodesic tracer, designed for its analysis. It was a semi-mathematical instrument, essentially a refinement of the old harmonic analyzer. Tracing the possible world-lines of material particles through Time, it opened a window to futurity…Here is the chronoscope…The latest development of the instrument. Scansion depends upon a special curved field, through which a sub-etheric radiation is bent into the time-axis, projected forward, and reflected from electronic fields back to the instrument. A stereoscopic image is obtained within the crystal screen, through selective fluorescence to the beat frequencies of the interfering carrier waves projected at right angles from below.

  • 1940 R. A. Heinlein Letter 23 Feb. in R. A. Heinlein & V. Heinlein Grumbles from Grave (1990) 7 Robert A. Heinlein

    I would be interested in taking a crack at your idea of scientists going insane over the uncertainty of truth in the ‘sub-etheric’ field.

  • 1944 Astounding Science-Fiction Mar. 46/2

    These stations warped space by the maintenance of subelectronic charges that produced a subetheric gradient which bent the usable radiations of Sol into a focus. The fact that they were points in space instead of mighty, million mile rings of metal to carry the space-warping charge made the focus of Sol irregular, but it served its purpose and men grew used to the scintillating sun.

  • 1948 G. O. Smith The Trans-Galactic Twins in Thrilling Wonder Stories June 14/1 page image George O. Smith bibliography

    And instead of trying to reach the stars, he had been trying to communicate between the several inhabited planets by subradio. Did he know anything about sub-etheric wave propagation?

  • 1949 ‘P. Phillips’ Manna in Astounding Science Fiction Feb. 67/1

    Let us review the possibilities, then…remembering that our sub-etheric energy is limited.

  • 1953 R. D. Locke Dark Nuptial in Thrilling Wonder Stories Feb. 65/1 page image Robert Donald Locke bibliography

    The information on the matrix is transmitted over tight sub-etheric waves to a receiving station at a velocity equal to that of gravitation. Which has thus far proved to be virtually instantaneous.

  • 1955 I. Asimov The Talking Stone in Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction Oct. 114/1 page image Isaac Asimov bibliography

    They're saving power, hoping they'll get picked up. Right now, they're putting everything they've got into a sub-etheric call, I'll bet.

  • 1993 B. Shaw Dimensions (1994) 7 Bob Shaw

    The familiar subetheric voice belonged to Ozzy Drabble, one of Pearce’s oldest friends among the Oscars.

  • 2015 T. Baxendale Deep Time vi. 75 page image Trevor Baxendale bibliography

    Jem’s an astrogation clone, remember—genetically modified to feel sub-etheric fluctuations in dark matter.

Research requirements

antedating 1938
Earliest cite

Jack Williamson
Research History
Jeff Prucher submitted a 2003 cite from Theodore Sturgeon's 1957 "The Pod in the Barrier".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1946 cite from Ross Rocklynne's "Distress Signal".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1955 cite from Isaac Asimov's "The Talking Stone".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1954 reprint of Robert Donald Locke's "Dark Nuptial"; Mike Christie verified the cite in the 1953 original.
Bee Ostrowsky submitted a 2015 cite from Trevor Baxendale.

Last modified 2024-11-17 00:09:25
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.