visiplate n.

= viewscreen n.

  • 1930 E. E. Smith Skylark Three in Amazing Stories Sept. 548/2 page image Edward E. Smith bibliography

    Finally, when the picture filled the entire visiplate, they arrived at the outermost edge of the galaxy.

  • 1930 E. E. Smith Skylark Three in Amazing Stories Oct. 615/1 page image Edward E. Smith bibliography

    Ten enormous supporting forces held the lens of neutronium immovable in the exact center of the upper end; at intervals down the shaft similar forces held variously-shaped lenses and prisms formed from zones of force; in the center of the bottom or floor of the towering structure was the double controlling system, with a universal visiplate facing each operator.

  • 1932 F. K. Kelly The Crisis with Mars in Wonder Stories Quarterly Fall 64/2 page image Frank K. Kelly bibliography

    He went straight to his bunk, reached down into the dark space directly beneath it, pulled hard at something metallic, and withdrew a tiny, compact black mechanism, with a little silver visi-plate inset in its exact center. Grant snapped a control-switch to contact, and waited while the small screen swiftly brightened.

  • 1934 E. E. Smith Triplanetary in Amazing Stories Feb. 91/1 page image Edward E. Smith bibliography

    Costigan turned away from the absorbing scenes pictured upon the visiplate and faced his two companions.

  • 1935 ‘M. Leinster’ Proxima Centauri in Astounding Stories Mar. 20/1 page image Murray Leinster bibliography

    They had a scanner on it now and by stepping up illumination to the utmost, and magnification to the point where the image was as rough as an old-fashioned half-tone cut, they brought the strange ship to the visiplate as a six-inch miniature.

  • 1935 ‘M. Leinster’ Proxima Centauri in Astounding Stories Mar. 21/1 page image Murray Leinster bibliography

    The visiplates showed the strange space ship clearly, now, even without magnification.

  • 1950 R. A. Heinlein Farmer in Sky (1975) viii. 83 Robert A. Heinlein bibliography

    The rest of the ship was cut in by visiplate.

  • 1976 R. Chilson The Tame One in Galileo Sept. 33/2 page image Rob Chilson bibliography

    She brought her wrist up and fingernailed the chron on. The tiny visiplate lit up with the time in Galactic Standard.

  • 1985 R. Chilson Passing in the Night in Dragon Magazine Oct. 61/1 Rob Chilson bibliography

    That nondescript dot of light in the visiplate represented the enemy.

  • 2003 M. Swanwick Legions in Time in Asimov’s Science Fiction Apr. 83 page image Michael Swanwick bibliography

    Ellie shrieked, and threw her purse over the visi-plate. ‘Don’t listen to him!’ she ordered Nadine. ‘See if you can find a way of turning this thing off!’


Research requirements

antedating 1930

Earliest cite

E.E. 'Doc' Smith, 'Skylark Three'

Research History
Jesse Sheidlower submitted a cite from a 1975 printing of Heinlein's "Farmer in the Sky".
Enoch Forrester submitted cites from Isaac Asimov's "Runaround" and "Catch That Rabbit"; Mike Christie verified them in the 1942 and 1944 magazine appearances.
Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a 1965 reprint of E.E. Smith's 1934 "Triplanetary"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the original appearance in Amazing Stories.
Dan Tilque submitted a cite from E.E. Smith's "Galactic Patrol"; Mike Christie verified it in the 1937 original magazine appearance.
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1932 cite for the form "vision-plate" from J. M. Walsh's "The Vanguard to Neptune".
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1932 cite from Frank K. Kelly's "The Crisis with Mars".
Edward Bornstein submitted a cite from a 1978 reprint of Murray Leinster's "Proxima Centauri": Isaac Wilcott verified this in the story's 1935 first publication.
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1931 cite for the form "visiray plate" from E.E. Smith's "Spacehounds of IPC".
Enoch Forrester submitted a 1985 cite from Rob Chilson's "Passing in the Night".
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 2003 cite from Michael Swanwick's "Legions in Time".
Robert Dana submitted a cite from a 1966 reprint of E.E. 'Doc' Smith's "Skylark Three"; Isaac Wilcott verified this in the 1930 first publication.

Last modified 2020-12-29 14:18:52
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.