gravitic adj.

of, caused by, or powered by gravity

  • 1935 J. W. Campbell Mightiest Machine in Astounding Stories Mar. 112/1 page image John W. Campbell, Jr. bibliography

    To the great weapons…he added…ball magnetic and ball gravitic bombs.

  • 1939 M. Jameson Question of Salvage in Astounding Science-Fiction Oct. 72/2 page image Malcolm Jameson bibliography

    It is described as an elongated ellipsoid of about five million miles along major axis and the gravitic equivalent at center is estimated to be of the order of several thousand megabars. Correspondingly strong ‘highs’ have been detected both above and below it as well as in front of and behind it, so that extraecliptic travel lanes are as impassable as the usual ones. Gravitic gradients throughout Mars-Jupiter sector at new record and zeta emanation abundant.

  • 1939 M. Jameson Question of Salvage in Astounding Science-Fiction Oct. 72/2 page image Malcolm Jameson bibliography

    Some structural damage was suffered by the vessel owing to pounding by gravitic waves, but she returned to base without assistance.

  • 1941 R. A. Heinlein Sixth Column in Astounding Science-Fiction Jan. 15/2 page image Robert A. Heinlein bibliography

    You see, there are three types of energy fields known to exist in space; electric, magnetic, and gravitic or gravitational.

  • 1944 ‘W. Long’ Latent Image in Astounding Science Fiction May 25/1 page image George O. Smith bibliography

    Gravitic phenomena propagates at the speed of light raised to the power of 2.71828—That’s our limiting velocity.

  • 1951 I. Asimov Foundation 19 Isaac Asimov

    The elevator was of the new sort that ran by gravitic repulsion.

  • 1982 V. N. McIntyre Wrath of Khan Prologue 9 Vonda N. McIntyre

    The message was only intermittantly comprehensible. ‘… gravitic mine, lost all power.’

  • 1982 I. Asimov Foundation's Edge 3 Isaac Asimov

    Now it’s a colossal mausoleum, but is there a force-field ramp in the place? A slideway? A gravitic lift?—No, just these steps.

  • 1986 W. Gibson in Interzone Spring 10/1, William Gibson

    I grinned, thinking about that, and suddenly it hit me that it really was over, that I was done with Lise, and that now she'd be sucked off to Hollywood as inexorably as if she'd poked her toe into a black hole, drawn down by the unthinkable gravitic tug of Big Money.

  • 1990 L. M. Bujold Vor Game (1993) 268 Lois McMaster Bujold

    The up-and-coming weapon for ship-to-ship fighting in the last couple of years seemed to be the gravitic imploder lance, a modification of tractor-beam technology; variously-designed artificial-gravity shields were still lagging behind in protection from it.

  • 1998 D. Brin Heaven's Reach 72 David Brin

    But right now they are using a supplementary gravitic engine to hasten progress, fleeing unexpected chaos in this stellar system.

  • 2020 N. K. Jemisin City We Became v. 129 N. K. Jemisin bibliography

    That’s what’s causing the gravitic shifts, he suspects; too much mass and breadth in one place at the same time. Perhaps because of this inherent contradiction with the laws of Normal New York physics, however, that vision never lasts.


Research requirements

antedating 1935

Earliest cite

John W. Campbell, Jr., "The Mightiest Machine"

Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1941 cite from Robert Heinlein's "Sixth Column".
Enoch Forrester submitted a 1939 cite from Malcolm Jameson's "A Question of Salvage".
Enoch Forrester submitted a 1944 cite from George O. Smith's "Latent Image".
Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a 1991 reprint of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation"; Mike Christie confirmed the cite in the 1951 first edition.
Michael Dolbear submitted a cite from a 1993 reprint of Lois McMaster Bujold's "The Vor Game".
Mike Christie submitted a 1986 cite from William Gibson's "The Winter Market".
Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a reprint of Isaac Asimov's "Foundation's Edge"; Mike Christie verified the cite in the 1982 first edition.
Katrina Campbell submitted a cite from a 1985 reprint of Edmond Hamilton's 1968 "The World of the Starwolves".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite from a 1976 reprint of "Rebellion" by John W. Campbell writing as "Don A. Stuart": Mike Christie verified this in its first publication in Astounding Science Fiction, August 1935
Jesse Sheidlower submitted a cite from John W. Campbell writing as himself, in Astounding, March 1935.
Ben Ostrowsky submitted a 2020 cite from N.K. Jemisin.

Last modified 2021-03-18 19:04:23
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.