force field n.
a field of energy that acts as an invisible barrier; cf. shield n.
SF Encyclopedia
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1931
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Edward E. Smith
bibliography
He first called Mars, the home planet of Alcantro and Fedanzo, the foremost force-field experts of three planets; and was assured in no uncertain terms that those rulers of rays were ready and anxious to follow wherever Brandon and Westfall might lead.
Spacehounds of IPC in Amazing Stories Sept. 544/2 -
1939
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Jack Williamson
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The force-field is a billion miles in diameter… It acts to repulse or disintegrate all matter that approaches.
After World’s End in Marvel Science Stories Feb. 59/1 -
1939
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Edward E. Smith
bibliography
I was reading in the ‘Transactions’ the other day that force fields had been used in big units, and were more efficient.
Gray Lensman in Astounding Science-Fiction Nov. 29/2 -
1941
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Isaac Asimov
bibliography
‘The ordinary force field,’ explained Birnam, ‘is a feeble rarefied zone of energy extending over a hundred miles or more outside the ship.’
Not Final! in Astounding Science Fiction Oct. 56/2 -
1954
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Clifford D. Simak
bibliography
There was some feeble force-field operating inside of it—feeble yet strong enough to play hell with the electrical circuits and fancy metering machinery he has at the lab.
Dusty Zebra in Galaxy Magazine Sept. 93/2 -
1966
Samuel R. Delany
bibliography
The forcefield was permeable, and he ducked through.
Empire Star (1977) 123 -
1967
Philip K. Dick
bibliography
There seemed to be no force-field, nothing modern, protecting the highly sensitive top levels of the structure.
Counter-Clock World (1990) 205 -
1970
Poul Anderson
bibliography
The reason is, as you've been told, at high speeds we must have the force fields of one system or the other to shield us from interstellar gas.
Tau Zero (1973) 85 -
1985
Orson Scott Card
bibliography
A second later he smashed into the forcefield of the enemy’s door and rebounded with a crazy spin.
Ender’s Game viii. 115 -
1990
Frederik Pohl
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To land, their little ship had to slide through an opening that appeared magically in the atmosphere-holding, radiation-shielding forcefield that kept the people who lived on Moon Mary safe.
World at End of Time (1993) 334 -
1999
Michael Jan Friedman
bibliography
We imprisoned Gary behind a forcefield while we cannibalized some of the station’s hardware to fix the drive.
My Brother's Keeper . ii. 25 -
2004
Peter F. Hamilton
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If we're up against weapons that you need to protect a star against, I don’t think a couple of our force fields will be much use.
Pandora’s Star v. 130 -
2019
Nnedi Okorafor
Aaand now it’s got an electronic force field. This just keeps getting better and better.
Groot Boom in Shuri (#3) Feb. (unpaged)
Research requirements
antedating 1931
Earliest cite
E.E. Smith, Spacehounds of IPC
Research History
Mike Christie submitted a 1941 cite.Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a 1998 reprint of E.E. Smith's "Gray Lensman"; Jesse Sheidlower verified it in the original appearance in Astounding in 1939.
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1939 cite from Jack Williamson's "After World's End".
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1932 cite for the form "field of force".
Rick Hauptmann submitted a 1931 cite from E.E. Smith's "Spacehounds of IPC".
(Earliest cite in the OED: 1944.)
Last modified 2022-09-07 18:49:22
In the compilation of some
entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries
in OED.