[Ads-l] Antedating of "Antimatter" for Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction

[James Eric Lawson]

'Anti-matter' (in the sense of "matter composed of antiparticles") is in
use as early as 1898. The term is used four times in a letter to the
editor titled "Potential Matter - A Holiday Dream", in the 18 Aug 1898
issue of *Nature* (p 367; #417). Here is the final use, but earlier uses
in the letter would be more on point for the intended sense:

"Astronomy, the oldest and yet most juvenile of sciences, may still have
some surprises in store. May anti-matter be commended to its care!"

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c2754934&view=1up&seq=417&q1=anti%20matter

For OED's purposes, the author rhapsodizes on "atom and anti-atom" as
well as "matter and anti-matter".

On 3/7/21 6:55 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
> Excellent citation, Fred. Nice quick update, Jesse. It looks like the
> OED places anti-matter under anti-particle with the same 1953
> citation.
> 
> Here is an instance of "anti-matter' with the desired sense in 1934.
> 
> Date: Feb. 24, 1934
> Journal: The Science News-Letter
> Volume 25, Number 672
> Article: Existence of Anti-Photon Suggested by Nobelist
> Start Page 115, Quote Page 115, Column 2
> Published by: Society for Science & the Public
> 
> https://www.jstor.org/stable/3910714
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> The sources behaved in every way like respectable atoms. For the sinks
> one had to assume a kind of negative or anti-matter. This was the
> difficult which kept those old theories of matter in the realm of
> fantastic speculation, although the mathematics was perfect.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Garson
> 
> On Sun, Mar 7, 2021 at 9:43 PM Jesse Sheidlower <jester at panix.com> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks, Fred. Updated.
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 08, 2021 at 02:05:45AM +0000, Shapiro, Fred wrote:
>>> antimatter (Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction 1953)
>>>
>>> "Antimatter" occurs in the 1948 book Cosmic rays and nuclear physics by the physicist Lajos Jánossy:
>>>
>>> The other type of matter might be called the "anti matter." In collision the two types of matter would annihilate each other and give rise to intense radiation.
>>>
>>> Fred Shapiro
>>>
>>> .
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> 

-- 
James Eric Lawson

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org