hyperspace
Jun. 10th, 2025 06:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordhyperspace (HAI-per-spays) - n., (math.) a Euclidean space of more than three dimensions; (science fiction) a notional space orthogonal to the usual dimensions of space-time often used for faster-than-light travel.
The mathematical term came first, coined in 1867 when mathematicians were first working through concepts of n-dimensional topology. Using higher dimensions as a shortcut emerged as a concept in the late 1920s, in stories by Kirk Meadowcroft and John Campbell (hyper-drive, a mechanism for traveling through hyperspace, was coined in 1941). The prefix hyper- (from Ancient Greek hupér, over) can many anything from over/above and beyond to excessive and intensely as well as huge/giant -- several meanings apply here, but "extra" more or less encompasses all of them. Other words with hyper- include hyperactive ("excessively active") and hypertext ("text that is beyond [the current text]").
---L.
The mathematical term came first, coined in 1867 when mathematicians were first working through concepts of n-dimensional topology. Using higher dimensions as a shortcut emerged as a concept in the late 1920s, in stories by Kirk Meadowcroft and John Campbell (hyper-drive, a mechanism for traveling through hyperspace, was coined in 1941). The prefix hyper- (from Ancient Greek hupér, over) can many anything from over/above and beyond to excessive and intensely as well as huge/giant -- several meanings apply here, but "extra" more or less encompasses all of them. Other words with hyper- include hyperactive ("excessively active") and hypertext ("text that is beyond [the current text]").
---L.
