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ansible. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ansible, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ansible in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ansible you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Coined by American writer Ursula K. Le Guin in 1966 in her novella Rocannon's World; Le Guin states that she derived it from answerable. The word was further spread by its adoption into other science fiction worlds, including by Orson Scott Card in Ender's Game (1986), Vernor Vinge in The Blabber (1988) and Dan Simmons in Hyperion (1989).
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈæn.sɪ.bəl/, /ˈɑːn.sɪ.bəl/
Noun
ansible (plural ansibles)
- (science fiction) A hypothetical device that enables users to communicate instantaneously across great distances; that is, a faster-than-light communication device.
- 1966, Ursula K. Le Guin, Rocannon's World, reprinted in Worlds of Exile and Illusion, Macmillan (1996), →ISBN, page 25:
- “You remember the ansible, the machine I showed you in the ship, which can speak instantly to other worlds, with no loss of years– ”
- “An ansible would theoretically be powered by subatomic particles that have undergone quantum entanglement, which utilizes Einstein's 'spooky action at a distance', allowing the alteration of one particle to instantaneously alter the state of its paired particle. ”
1985, Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game, reprinted by Macmillan, published 2002, →ISBN, page 251:“ […] The master ansible is there, in contact with all our invasion fleet; the ships are all working, ready to fight. […] ”
2008, Elizabeth Moon, Victory Conditions, reprint by Random House, published 2009, →ISBN, page 39:Ky had allotted two hours here, time to strip the news from the ansible, share it, even discuss it, but she didn’t plan to have everyone clustered and vulnerable.
Translations
Further reading
Anagrams
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from English ansible.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /anˈsible/
- Rhymes: -ible
- Syllabification: an‧si‧ble
Noun
ansible m (plural ansibles)
- (science fiction) ansible