English edit

Etymology edit

Presumed super- + cee, a respelling of the physics symbol c (denoting the speed of light in a vacuum; an abbreviation of both English constant and Latin celeritas (swiftness)).

Noun edit

supercee (uncountable)

  1. (rare, science fiction) Faster-than-light travelling speed.
    • 1930, Information Access Company, Analog Science Fiction/science Fact, pp63{1}, 73{2}, & 77{3}
      {1}But Man had always been a restless, persistent creature, and the stars called, and in an incredibly short space of time a highly-ingenious refinement of the theta drive gave him supercee.
      {2}“What I can’t understand, Psy, is why in the name of Mira the Terrans couldn’t have been admitted to the Federation as soon as they developed supercee. […]”
      {3}Offhand I’d say that the Terrans, when they hit on the secret of star-driving a planet, which isn’t much of a trick once the supercee principle is clearly understood, decided to go off on a hunt round the galaxy for a see-tee system.
    • 1960, AUTHOR UNKNOWN, Astounding Science-fiction, pp70{1}, 72{2}, & 73{3}; presumed to be an earlier work (1930 or earlier), as quotations 2 and 3 also appear in:
    • 1930, Information Access Company, Analog Science Fiction/science Fact[1], page 72:
      {1}“[…] A couple of … after the last rescue ship had lif … into space and shifted into the … of supercee, the star exploded.”
      {2}“Surely you know the answer to that one,” he said after a moment or two, “or have you forgotten all about a little thing called the decrement effect?” The Psychologist nodded. “Precisely. The decrement effect. The factor that makes supercee — supercee as we know it, that is — inoperable in intergalactic space.” He looked thoughtful. “I don’t think anyone’s yet evolved a satisfactory theory to account for the existence of the effect. The only thing that’s certain is that it’s tied up in some way with gravity fields — or, rather, with the absence of g-fields.” He shrugged.
      {3}“What I can’t understand, Psy, is why in the name of Mira the Terrans couldn’t have been admitted to the Federation as soon as they developed supercee. […]”
    • 1979, Frank Northen Magill, Survey of Science Fiction Literature, Salem Press, →ISBN, page 937:
      The core was virtually unreachable at supercee velocities. So the Lost Star’s bleep has been sounding for eighty years, and no ship has reached her.

Synonyms edit