Vegan n. 1

a native or inhabitant of the solar system of the star Vega

Demonyms

  • 1930 E. Hamilton Sun People in Weird Tales May iv. 621/2 page image Edmond Hamilton bibliography

    But most terrible of all in that grim combat was Mirk En. The great octopus-like Vegan had gripped the square’s edge firmly with two of his mighty tentacles, and now with the other seven of those tentacle-arms was gripping cube-creature after cube-creature in the scores that whirled about him, was slamming them down upon the square’s surface with terrific force, his mighty arms cutting paths of death through the throngs that swirled about him.

  • 1932 H. K. Wells Zehru of Xollar in Astounding Stories Feb. 274/2 page image Hal K. Wells bibliography

    Of the seven planets within reach of my net I found only two that promised to be at all suitable. One was your Earth, the other a minor planet circling the star you call Vega. I brought both you and a net-load of Vegans here to this oxygen-filled enclosure I had already prepared. The Vegans were the headless things with the jelly nuclei. I watched your battle with them, and waited to choose as my vehicle the planetary type that proved the stronger. You vanquished the Vegans, so it is in the body of an Earthling that I shall leave Xollar, and it is to the planet Earth that I shall be hurtled through the inter[-]dimensional gate.

  • 1943 ‘H. Clement’ Attitude in Astounding Science Fiction Sept. 16/1 page image Hal Clement bibliography

    The Vegan relaxed for a moment as its eyes readjusted themselves; then its antennae snapped erect and began to sway slowly in the simple patterns of the sign language of its race.

  • 1943 ‘H. Clement’ Attitude in Astounding Science-Fiction Sept. 27/1 page image Hal Clement bibliography

    The Vegans, whose quarters were directly opposite, watched from their doorways. They also commented from time to time, but were very seldom answered, since both hands are required to speak Vegan.

  • 1951 P. Anderson Inside Earth in Galaxy Science Fiction Apr. 19/1 page image Poul Anderson bibliography

    A cosmopolitan throng filled the walkways… There were other races, blue-skinned Vegans, furry Proximans, completely non-humanoid Sirians and Antarians.

  • 1980 I. Watson Gardens of Delight xxiv. 159 Ian Watson bibliography

    How much more would we regret the passing of Canopians, Vegans, Aldebarians or whomever, with all the insights they had gained?

  • 2002 I. Watson Speaker for Wooden Sea in Asimov’s Science Fiction Mar. 118 page image Ian Watson bibliography

    Not that there haven’t been two or three cargo shuttles from starships visiting our spaceport. The last of these, arriving a week ago, brought me a surprise package. The woman who delivered it, a Vegan—in the stellar rather than the dietary sense—did not know anything about me other than that I was obviously from offworld, and she was amazed that I had settled here.


Research requirements

antedating 1930

Earliest cite

Edmond Hamilton, "Sun People", in Weird Tales

Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1943 cite from Hal Clement's "Attitude".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1932 cite from "Zehru of Zollar" by Hal K. Wells.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 1930 cite from Edmond Hamilton.

Earliest cite in OED2: 1951. OED Online revised the entry in 2012 to include the 1943 Hal Clement example.

Last modified 2022-01-10 15:56:24
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.