Happy Sci-Fi Day! January 2nd is Sci-fi day in honor of Isaac Asimov’s birthday, and thus the perfect time to celebrate the imaginative worlds, futuristic technologies, and intergalactic adventures that make science fiction such a beloved genre. One of the most exciting aspects within this is the sci-fi words —the words that transport us to new dimensions, introduce alien cultures, and challenge our understanding of reality.

So today I bring you an A-Z of sci-fi words, both futuristic and fantastic, to celebrate the day! Whether you’re a fan of hyperspace travel, philosophical explorations of the multiverse, or the cyberpunk aesthetic, these words are sure to make you feel like you’re part of a galaxy far, far away. Let the linguistic voyage begin! 🚀✨

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For the Thursday Thirteen meme that I love to join in whenever I can!

13*2 Words to Celebrate Sci-Fi Day

A – Ansible

• Meaning: A device for instantaneous communication across vast distances, even between star-systems!
• Etymology: Coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in her novel Rocannon’s World. It combines “answer” and “possible” to imply communication that is both immediate and possible, no matter the distance.
• Usage: The crew used the ansible to report their findings to the home planet, bypassing the light-year delay that would have otherwise made communication impossible.

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B – Bioship

• Meaning: A living, organic spaceship that blends biology and technology, one that is partially or wholly composed of biological material.
• Etymology: From “bio-” meaning “life” and “ship,” referring to a vehicle or vessel. The term is most often used in science fiction to describe advanced, bioengineered spacecraft.
• Usage: The bioship’s metallic veins pulsed as it navigated through the nebula, its organic systems syncing with the ship’s AI to adapt to the hostile environment.
• Note: Wikipedia notes that the first possible usage of the word in sci-fi is possibly in Robert Sheckley’s short story Specialist.

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C – Cryostasis

• Meaning: The process of freezing a living organism to preserve it for future use, typically used for long-duration space travel.
• Etymology: From Greek “kryos” (cold) and “stasis” (standing), referring to the preservation of life by freezing.
• Usage: The crew was placed in cryostasis for the long journey across the galaxy, their bodies preserved until they reached their destination.

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D – Dyson Sphere

• Meaning: A hypothetical megastructure that encloses a star to capture its energy output for advanced civilization use.
• Etymology: Named after physicist Freeman Dyson, who explored the concept in 1960 (source).
• Usage: The discovery of a Dyson Sphere in orbit around a distant star changed our understanding of extraterrestrial intelligence.

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E – Elsewhen

• Meaning: A term used to describe a time or place that exists outside of the usual constraints of time. While it has been around since middle English, and is an archaic term, it fits into sci-fi perfectly!
• Etymology: From Middle English ellys whan, combining else” meaning “other” and “when,” referring to a different time or period.
• Usage: The travelers stepped into the portal and found themselves in a world that existed elsewhen, where time and space did not follow the same rules.

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F – Fermi Paradox

• Meaning: The contradiction between the high probability of extraterrestrial civilizations and the lack of evidence or contact with such civilizations.
• Etymology: Named after physicist Enrico Fermi, who asked, “Where is everybody?” during a conversation about aliens and UFO in reference to the lack of alien contact (source)
• Brings me to this question: The Fermi Paradox raises the intriguing question: if there are so many potentially habitable planets in the universe, why haven’t we yet encountered any signs of extraterrestrial life?

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G – Gestalt Intelligence

• Meaning: A concept where a group forms a unified whole, often applied to collective consciousness or hive minds in sci-fi.
• Etymology: From the German word “Gestalt,” meaning “shape” or “form,” used in psychology to describe the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
• Gestalt intelligence does not seem too far-fetched or far-off now.

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H – Hyperdrive

• Meaning: A fictional propulsion system that enables faster-than-light travel through a “hyper” dimension or alternate space.
• Etymology: “Hyper” comes from the Greek “hyper,” meaning “over” or “beyond,” and “drive,” referring to propulsion or movement.
• Usage: The starship engaged the hyperdrive, slipping through the fabric of space in an instant to reach their distant destination.

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I – Infodump

• Meaning: A dense, often overwhelming, explanation of background information, especially regarding complex technologies or lore in sci-fi.
• Etymology: Derived from “information” and “dump,” referring to an abrupt or excessive delivery of information.
• Usage: The protagonist’s guide to the dystopian world felt like an infodump, with chapters of history and technology all laid out in a few pages.

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J – Jumpspace

• Meaning: A hypothetical dimension or mode of travel used for instantaneous movement across space, bypassing normal space-time limitations.
• Etymology: “Jump,” referring to a sudden leap, and “space,” implying the space between destinations.
• Usage: The ship accelerated into jumpspace, where time and space bent to allow for faster-than-light travel.

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K – Kaiju

• Meaning: Giant, often destructive creatures, typically from Japanese films like Godzilla, that wreak havoc on cities.
• Etymology: From Japanese “kai” (strange) and “ju” (beast).
• Usage: A massive kaiju emerged from the ocean, its towering form casting a shadow over the helpless city.

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L – Lightsaber

• Meaning: A weapon with a plasma blade, used primarily by the Jedi and Sith in the Star Wars franchise.
• Etymology: “Light,” referring to the energy blade, and “saber,” a type of sword.
• Usage: The Jedi ignited his lightsaber, the blue blade humming with energy as he faced his opponent.

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M – Multiverse

• Meaning: The concept that multiple, parallel universes exist simultaneously, each with its own version of reality.
• Etymology: “Multi-” meaning “many” and “verse,” from the Latin “universum,” meaning “universe.”
• I loved watching the CW shows The Flash, Arrow, and other similar shows, and there was certainly lots of talk of multiverses there.

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N – Novum

• Meaning: A scientific element in a work that demonstrates that the work takes place in a world different from our own, thus establishing that the work should be regarded as science fiction (source)
• Etymology: From Latin “novum,” meaning “new” or “novel.”
• Not sure why I like this word but I do….

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O – Omniverse

• Meaning: A collection of all possible universes, including the multiverse, the sum total of all realities.
• Etymology: “Omni-” meaning “all” and “verse,” from “universum.”
• I love the use of ‘omni’ which sounds like something small, but is in reality, vast!

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P – Psychohistory

• Meaning: A theoretical discipline combining sociology, psychology, and mathematics to predict the future of large populations.
• Etymology: Coined by Isaac Asimov in his Foundation series, blending “psycho-” (mind) and “history.”

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Q – Quasar

• Meaning: A highly energetic and distant object in space, often a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy emitting intense radiation.
• Etymology: From “quasi-stellar,” as early observations mistook quasars for stars.
• Usage: The telescope captured the dazzling light of a quasar, one of the most energetic objects in the known universe.

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R – Replicant

• Meaning: In sci-fi, it is a bioengineered human-like being, often used to explore themes of identity and humanity (like in Blade Runner).
• Etymology: From “replicate,” implying a copy or clone.

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S – Simulacrum

• Meaning: A representation or imitation of a person or thing, often used to describe artificial realities or clones.
• Etymology: From Latin “simulacrum,” meaning “image” or “likeness.”
• Usage: The simulacrum of the city was so realistic, it was impossible to tell whether it was real or a simulation.
• A real mirage? That is what I thought of first!

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T – Terraforming

• Meaning: The process of modifying a planet’s environment to make it habitable for humans.
• Etymology: From “terra” (earth) and “forming” (shaping). Jack Williamson coined this term in Collision Orbit – a science-fiction short story
• In The Martian, there is definitely an attempt at terraforming!

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U – Uchronia

• Meaning: A fictional world where historical events have occurred differently, often used in alternate history or time-travel fiction.
• Etymology: From Greek “ou” (not) and “chronos” (time).
• Usage: In this uchronia, the Roman Empire never fell, and its influence stretched into the modern age.
• I can see how this can be used in so many ways. Reimagining history or the future (like in the Back to the Future movies) is uchronic.

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V – Void

• Meaning: The vast, empty space between stars and galaxies, often used to represent isolation or existential themes in sci-fi.
• Etymology: From Latin “vacuum,” meaning “emptiness” or “space.”
• Have you read The Void Trilogy by Peter Hamilton? Do let me know if you recommend I read it.

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W – Wormhole

• Meaning: A theoretical passage through space-time that allows faster-than-light travel or connects distant regions of the universe.
• Etymology: “Worm,” as in a tunnel dug by a worm, and “hole,” referring to an opening or passage. American physicist John Archibald Wheeler coined this term (source).
• It is also called the Einstein-Rosen bridge. I loved how the characters navigated a wormhole in the movie Interstellar. Have you watched it?

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X – Xenomorph

• Meaning: A hostile, alien species, particularly those featured in Aliens, known for their deadly nature (source).
• Etymology: From Greek “xeno” (alien) and “morph” (form or shape).
• You know it if you have seen or are familiar with the Aliens movie series.

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Y – Yggdrasil

• Meaning: A cosmic tree in Norse mythology, known for connecting the entire cosmos together through time and space.
• Etymology: From Old Norse “Yggdrasill,” meaning “the tree of Yggr,” the name for Odin.
• You might have heard it referenced in the MCU (I know I heard it there first), like in Thor.

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Z – Zero-Point Energy

• Meaning: Theoretical energy harnessed from the quantum vacuum, often used in advanced tech.
• Etymology: The term is translated from the German Nullpunktsenergie.

References, h/t, Further Reading: Wikipedia, various dictionaries

Related Reads and More

• Another reference for this list is the really out-of-the-word Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction

And Now, the End of This Post

Dear reader, which of these words sounds out-of-this-world to you? Which of these did you already know of? What’s your favorite sci-fi word, and how has it shaped your imagination? Do let me know your thoughts on this post and your fav sci-fi words, worlds, and works!