star wars - What is the earliest instance of the use of term "blaster" in sci-fi to denote energy-based weapon?

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” - Han Solo, naturally.

So, by the time Star Wars was released, blaster was an established science-fiction term for an energy-based weapon (aka ray gun). But what was the first known usage of the term in that context?

Answer

Jeff Prucher's Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction gives a first use of 1925.

blaster citation

I heartily recommend Brave New Words to anybody interested in SF history or language.

Comments

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