viewplate n.

= visiplate n.

Now rare.

  • 1928 P. F. Nowlan Armageddon—2419 AD in Amazing Stories Aug. 448/1 page image Philip Francis Nowlan bibliography

    I ordered my observer then to switch to the barrage itself. He got a close focus on it, but this showed little except a continuous series of blinding flashes, which, from the viewplate, lit up the entire interior of the ship.

  • 1928 P. F. Nowlan Armageddon—2419 AD in Amazing Stories Aug. 448/1 page image Philip Francis Nowlan bibliography

    Again I turned to my viewplate, which was still focussed on the central section of the Sinsing works.

  • 1928 P. F. Nowlan Armageddon—2419 AD in Amazing Stories Aug. 448/2 page image Philip Francis Nowlan bibliography

    Seen upon the ultroscope viewplate, the battle looked as though it were being fought in daylight, perhaps on a cloudy day, while the explosions of the rockets appeared as flashes of extra brilliance.

  • 1941 Cosmic Stories July

    There was even a telescreen whose eyes opened on the forward viewplate, so that the engineer could follow the maneuvering.

  • 1942 F. Brown Star Mouse in Planet Stories Spring 34/1 Fredric Brown

    He took the readings from the dials about the viewplate, and hurled them as thoughts against the psychocoil of the computer, then waited while that most complicated of machines digested all the factors and prepared the answer.

  • 1953 J. J. Ferrat Nightmare Tower in Fantastic Universe June–July 23/1

    She looked around but failed to see his tall figure and saturnine face—treacherous face, she thought—among the half-dozen passengers already reclining in plastolounges, watching the amazing panorama projected on the ceiling from the viewplate recorders in the prow and stern of the huge space-vessel.

  • 1956 ‘W. Morrison’ & F. Pohl Head Hunters in Fantastic Universe Jan. 48/1 Frederik Pohl William Morrison bibliography

    He could see Drake’s looming ugly helmet over the control board, through the forward view plate.

  • 1958 R. Silverberg Invaders from Earth (1987) ix. 86 Robert Silverberg

    Kennedy climbed in. There was a viewplate just to the left of his head.

  • 1966 S. R. Delany Empire Star (1977) 124 Samuel R. Delany

    The Geodetic Survey Station faded from the viewplates of the sensory helmet that was lying face-up on the dashboard.

  • 1976 B. N. Malzberg Best of Barry N. Malzberg 8 Barry N. Malzberg

    All that the intent crew and the Captain were able to see through the viewplate was a thin glaze in which a deformed parody of a human shape could be seen struggling against a nebulous background.

  • 2020 E. Bear Machine xxix. 462 Elizabeth Bear bibliography

    The hardsuit sealed over my face, obscuring my vision for a moment. For another moment, I could see clearly as the utility fog formed into the transparent viewplate. Until a sudden concussion knocked it askew, and red-black tunnel edges closed on me.


Research requirements

antedating 1928

Earliest cite

Philip Francis Nowlan, "Armageddon 2419 A.D."

Research History
Fred Galvin submitted a 1942 cite from Fredric Brown's "The Star Mouse".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1935 cite from Alexander M. Phillips' "Martian Gesture".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from Jacques Jean Ferrat's "Nightmare Tower".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from Philip K. Dick's "Planet for Transients".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from William Morrison's "Divinity".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1953 cite from Richard S. Shaver's "Beyond the Barrier".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1956 cite from William Morrison and Frederik Pohl's "The Head Hunters".
Alistair Durie submitted a 1928 cite from Philip Francis Nowlan's "Armageddon: 2419 A.D."
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2020 cite from Elizabeth Bear.

Last modified 2021-08-12 17:06:49
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.