Welcome to the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction. This work-in-progress is a comprehensive quotation-based dictionary of the language of science fiction. The HD/SF is an offshoot of a project begun by the Oxford English Dictionary (though it is no longer formally affiliated with it). It is edited by Jesse Sheidlower. Please explore the menu links to learn more.

“All the words in the world pronounced by native speakers.”

Beautiful photographs to demonstrate words.

"There are many terms which refer to a state of relating to or pertaining to a certain thing or category of things. Instead of using a phrase such as 'pertaining to buttercups', you can substitute the adjective 'ranunculaceous'. Using the admittedly invented phrase 'adjectives of relation', I have compiled 842 such terms."

Backwards dictionary, wildcards, and other useful tools.