*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of SF

Source etymology material for SF; no narrative etymology was supplied in this snapshot.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
noun

Initialism of science fiction or speculative fiction, often used to avoid having to choose between the two. · Initialism of square feet. · Initialism of spontaneous fission. · Initialism of small forward.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

No narrative was extracted for this section. Available source templates and references appear below; no ancestor chain has been invented to fill the gap.

This page abbreviates 2 auxiliary source items. The etymology narrative is not shortened. Omission counts are available in the audit fields below; consult the original for complete auxiliary material.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "エスエフ",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    },
    {
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "lang_code": "ja",
      "word": "SF",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "SF"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Initialism of science fiction or speculative fiction, often used to avoid having to choose between the two.",
        "Initialism of square feet.",
        "Initialism of spontaneous fission.",
        "Initialism of small forward."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "countable",
        "initialism",
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      ],
      "recordId": "83638961ef44a77c3d37ede1cc1a0ccb5d5a014d70881da0ac8db01f01c160ac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ac73bed3a94612916f5815067fbfe391cf9e81ac8f0b5e5e47bc639ed04d595b",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 243110
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 2,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for SF →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-U0Y