spaceship

nouncommon in dialogue

United States

A manned vehicle that flies through space.

noun

1
A manned vehicle that flies through space.
2
A finite pattern that reappears after a certain number of generations in the same orientation but in a different position.
The spaceships look like a row of threshers harvesting a field of wheat; the thickness in the direction of motion is only about 10 cells.
We describe software that searches for spaceships in Conway's Game of Life and related two-dimensional cellular automata.
Synthesis of spaceship flotillas is even more complicated than synthesis of oscillators, since spaceships are like oscillators that move[…]
3
The operator <=> in certain programming languages, which compares two values and indicates whether the first is lesser than, greater than, or equal to the second.
If we reverse the positions of $a and $b, the spaceship will sort in the opposite order[…]
4
slangA computer.

Etymology

* space + ship * (programming operator): From its resemblance to the shape of a flying saucer.

Forms

plural: spaceships

space · Unlimited or generalized extent, physical or otherwise. The…Space · A surname.spacecraft · A vehicle that travels through space.

spaceship · A manned vehicle that flies through space.

spacious · Having plenty of space; roomy; capacious.spade · A garden tool with a handle and a flat blade for digging. Not…Spade · A surname.

The neighbouring pages — Alphabetical order follows the rules of the language, not byte values: an accent decides only between two otherwise identical words, and Spanish files Ñ as a letter of its own.