aerocar n.

a small, personal flying vehicle

Vehicles

  • 1900 F. C. Smale Abduction of Alexandra Seine in Harmsworth Magazine Nov. 291 page image Fred C. Smale bibliography

    Bowden Snell was now developing the film in his room at the Flash office, and the aerocar which had brought him was still outside the large bay window swinging gently to and fro at its moorings in the summer breeze.

  • 1929 A. G. Stangland Ancient Brain in Science Wonder Stories Oct. 403/1 page image Arthur G. Stangland bibliography

    Aerocars floated about in the air above the thoroughfares. Jak explained that invisible repulsion rays suspended them in space.

  • 1941 N. Schachner Beyond All Weapons in Astounding Science-Fiction Nov. 136/1 page image Nat Schachner bibliography

    He slid back into the aΓ«rocar, two badly frightened Circle Guards with him; the seals were set and he soared away.

  • 1950 G. H. Irwin Justice of Martin Brand in Other Worlds July 128/1 page image Raymond A. Palmer bibliography

    In the dark, a transfer was made to an aerocar, which took off immediately on a course directly over the Venusian jungles.

  • 1995 W. J. Williams Metropolitan 102 Walter Jon Williams bibliography

    A pair of small helicopters, emergency orange, wait with blades drooping, and a pair of aerocars stand on their pads.

  • 2013 D. Swavely Kaleidocide l. 387 Dave Swavely bibliography

    A BASS aerocar is approaching the house from the northeast. The identity of the driver is Michael Ares.

Research requirements

antedating 1900
Earliest cite

Fred Smale, "The Abduction of Alexandra Seine"
Research History
Suzanne Gibson submitted a cite from a 1977 reprint of Fred Smales' "The Abduction of Alexandra Seine"; Jesse Sheidlower confirmed it in the 1900 original appearance.
Hal Hall submitted a 1998 cite from Everett F. Bleiler's "Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years", which contains an excerpt of A.G. Stangland's "The Ancient Brain". Hal Hall verified this cite in its original appearance in the October 1929 Science Wonder Stories.
Mike Christie submitted a 1941 cite.
Kathleen Miller submitted a 1908 cite from an article by Stephen Chalmers in the New York Times.
Malcolm Farmer submitted a 1995 cite from Walter Jon Williams' "Metropolitan".

Earliest cite in the OED: 1910.
The word has also been used as a brand name for Molt Taylor's real-life invention, "an FAA-certified roadable airplane he designed and developed in the late 1940s and early 1950s" (Flying Magazine, Feb. 1996).

Last modified 2021-01-30 04:22:46
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.