space marine

English

Etymology

Named after the marines, infantry soldiers who serve in coastal areas to assist naval forces.

The earliest usage of this term was from Bob Olsen's short story "Captain Brink of the Space Marines" in 1932, in which the titular soldiers rescue celebrity twins on Saturn's moon, Titan.

Noun

space marine (plural space marines)

1. (science fiction) a soldier who fights in outer space or extraterrestrial worlds.

Usage notes

This term is often associated with the Warhammer 40,000 franchise by Games Workshop and several other science fiction works, like StarCraft.

Translations

science fiction super-soldiers

• Russian: косми́ческий деса́нт m (kosmíčeskij desánt), космодеса́нт (kosmodesánt)