beamer n.

a device (esp. a weapon) that emits a beam of energy

Weaponry

  • 1945 T. Pace Death Star in Planet Stories Spring 80/2 page image Tom Pace bibliography

    Then Star saw what kind of a transmitter it was, and he groaned. It was not a Hineson Sub-space beamer…it was an old-style transmitter which had different wave speeds. [ellipsis in orig.]

  • 1950 J. Lurie Tritonian Terror in Fantastic Adventures Nov. 129 page image June Lurie bibliography

    Grimly he swung the barrel of the Beamer around and touched the firing trigger. The suits vanished in a flare of light.

  • 1953 P. Anderson Courier of Chaos in Future Science Fiction Mar. 19/2 page image Poul Anderson bibliography

    Ushtu entered the basement of a large tenement, using his magnetic beamer to open doors and lock them after him.

  • 1954 J. Harmon Uncompromising People in Spaceway June 100 page image Jim Harmon bibliography

    He…brought the icy barrel of the beamer against his hairy but otherwise bare chest. Moss gave a shiver and slapped the proton-beamer, suction-holster-side in, against the side of his hip.

  • 1960 P. Anderson Twelvemonth & a Day in Fantastic Universe Jan. 46/1 page image Poul Anderson bibliography

    You could have coupled a thermonuclear power plant to a gravity beamer and a secondary-drive pulse generator, built a hull around the ensemble, and—

  • 1966 K. Laumer Truce or Consequences in Worlds of If Nov. 19/1 page image Keith Laumer bibliography

    The high walls… reared up behind a dense barrier of wickedly thorned shark trees. Retief used a small pocket beamer to slice a narrow path through into the grounds.

  • 1970 P. Anthony Monarch in Worlds of If Nov.–Dec. 130/1 page image Piers Anthony bibliography

    ‘I shall make an example. First I shall vaporize her squat snout.’ He flicked one of this four thumbs over a setting on the beamer and pressed the business end against her nose.

  • 1985 L. Niven Table Manners in J. Pournelle & J. Baen Far Frontiers 294 page image Larry Niven bibliography

    Of course I had the beamer and it would kill; but it wouldn’t kill fast.

  • 1997 D. Paxson Pyro in Science Fiction Age July 65/2 page image Dana William Paxson bibliography

    My hand inside my coverall leg, I fire Armana’s beamer at the sculpted stone ceiling, sizzling my own knee; with a roar a section of rock breaks loose from above.

  • 2016 ‘D. N. Clark’ Forsaken Skies 115 page image David Wellington bibliography

    Valk pulled a nasty-looking pistol out of a pocket of his suit and pointed it at Lanoe’s chest. It was a microwave beamer, fully capable of cooking Lanoe alive inside his suit.


Research requirements

antedating 1945

Research History
Suggested by Malcolm Farmer.

Last modified 2022-07-20 13:58:20
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.