SCIENTIFICTION

from Fancyclopedia 2

(Gernsback) A scientificombination of "scientific fiction" coined before Amazing Stories appeared, back when the Electrical Experimenter was publishing the stuff. It was not replaced by "science-fiction" with or without hyphen till about 1930, and its abbreviation "stf" still persists. One reason the word itself fell into disuse is the difficulty of pronouncing it so as to show its elements; "scienti-fiction" is more natural than "scien-TIF-FIC-tion". It should properly designate only such science-fiction as is extrapolation on science, tho the abbreviation "stf" equals "SF".