Word of the Day

: July 16, 2014

steampunk

noun STEEM-punk

What It Means

: science fiction dealing with 19th-century societies dominated by historical or imagined steam-powered technology

steampunk in Context

"The multiroom bar and restaurant is now decked out with steampunk-ish exposed ducts, geometric light fixtures, and rustic barn doors." - Anna Roth, SF Weekly, June 18, 2014

"It is also the vision of steampunk, a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and now fashion, all inspired by the extravagantly inventive age of dirigibles and steam locomotives, brass [diving bells](/dictionary/diving bells) and jar-shaped protosubmarines." - Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, May 8, 2008

Did You Know?

"I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for [Tim] Powers, [James] Blaylock and myself." So wrote the science-fiction author K. W. Jeter, credited with coining the term "steampunk" in 1987 to describe a wave of fantasy novels set in Victorian times and celebrating the technology of the era, much of which was powered by steam. In both name and subject, "steampunk" is an antithesis to "cyberpunk," a genre often noted for featuring computerized, futuristic, or unearthly settings. The popularity of steampunk has since carried over to motion pictures, fashion, and even things like restaurant décor.