cyber-comb. form
Chiefly prefixed to nouns. Originally: forming words relating to (the culture of) computers, information technology, and virtual reality, or denoting futuristic concepts. Later also: spec. forming terms relating to the internet.
1. Forming esp. temporary words and ad hoc formations, as cybercubicle, cyberfeminist, cyberfriend, cyberlover, cybersnob, etc.; cyber-sheepishly adv.
ΚΠ
1961 Wall St. Jrnl. 15 Aug. 8/4 A major difference between the Cybertron and conventional computers..is the ability of the Cybertron to make use of raw data and signals.
1982 D. Adams Life, Universe & Everything xi. 63 Zaphod had spent most of his early history lessons plotting how he was going to have sex with the girl in the cybercubicle next to him.
1986 G. Benford & D. Brin Heart of Comet (1987) iv. 281 She..spent a few hours each day linked to her cyberfriend.
1993 Newsweek 6 Sept. 46/4 Presumably such cybersighs reflect the deeper on-line intimacies to which we have no access. Ah, the networks of love.
1994 Eng. Today Oct. 17/1 Your Net address says volumes about who you are, about what community you hang in and whether you're a cybersnob or a cyberhick.
1994 i-D Oct. 18/1 Look out..for Australia's cyberfeminist collective VNS Matrix.
1995 .net Feb. 62/3 These companies really are a different kettle of cyberfish altogether.
1996 Guardian 11 Mar. 2/1 When Mr Hannah..referred to the cost of ‘IT systems’ Mr Ashdown asked if he meant information technology. Industrial tribunals, Vincent conceded cyber-sheepishly.
1999 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 12 May 11/2 The legal aspects of cyber-franchising were not clearly defined.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Jan. i. 22/1 As with many relationships born on the Internet, neither was telling the truth... His cyber-lover from West Virginia was also in her 40's..but had adopted her daughter's identity.
2. In more established compounds.
cyber affair n.
Brit. 
/ˈsʌɪbə(r) əˌfɛː/
, /ˈsʌɪbə(r) əˌfɛː/U.S. /ˈsaɪbər əˌfɛ(ə)r/
a romantic affair in which all contact takes place via the internet./ˈsaɪbər əˌfɛ(ə)r/ΚΠ
1994 Salt Lake Tribune 19 May b2/2 With the help and understanding of my husband, I went undercover and had ‘cyber affairs’ with two fellows whom I will call Clark and Randy.
2001 Observer 8 Apr. 4 They play business rivals who meet in an internet chat-room and then start a cyber affair.
2007 J. Hohnberger Men of Power 186 Online chat..has a more sinister side, and that is cyber affairs—complete with online, virtual sex.
cyber age n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbə(r) eɪdʒ/
, /ˈsʌɪbə(r) eɪdʒ/U.S. /ˈsaɪbər ˌeɪdʒ/
the era marked by the development and (widespread) use of virtual reality or (now usually) the internet./ˈsaɪbər ˌeɪdʒ/ΚΠ
1992 San Francisco Chron. 22 Dec. d3 (headline) A primer for the cyberage.
1999 Daily Mail (Nexis) 4 Aug. 48 The internet will service those who have embraced the cyber age.
2007 E. Bernstein Temporarily Yours iv. 70 The company..is one of the myriad legal and legitimate online sex businesses that have helped to usher in the cyber age.
cyberart n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbə(r)ɑːt/
, /ˈsʌɪbə(r)ɑːt/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌɑrt/
art produced using computer technology; also in plural./ˈsaɪbərˌɑrt/ΚΠ
1971 Leonardo 4 193 Adrian Rogoz published a historical study of ‘Cyberarts’ for the 1970 Almanach of the journal ‘Science and Technic’. At present he is researching the field of relations between art and computers.
1996 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 29 Sept. 80 The exhibition reveals some interesting developments in cyber art, a field that students handle well: they have an innate understanding of computers.
2009 Boston Globe 1 May g8 There are qualities that make a work ‘art’... Many practitioners of cyberart, I fear, have yet to work out what those qualities are.
cyber-attack n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbə(r)əˌtak/
, /ˈsʌɪbə(r)əˌtak/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərəˌtæk/
the use of information technology to infiltrate or disrupt computer systems; an instance of this./ˈsaɪbərəˌtæk/ΚΠ
1996 Economist 13 Jan. 77 With little law and order, the first thing to do to protect a network from cyber-attack is to rely on trusted friends.
1997 Pop. Sci. July 74/1 While serious security breaches are fairly rare, cyberattacks are alarmingly routine.
2008 Observer 16 Mar. 23/3 He told an e-security conference in London last week that cyber-attacks should be taken as seriously as a missile strike.
cyberbabe n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəbeɪb/
, /ˈsʌɪbəbeɪb/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌbeɪb/
colloquial (a) an attractive female image or character created using computer technology; (b) a (skilled) female user of computer technology./ˈsaɪbərˌbeɪb/ΚΠ
1992 Houston Chron. 9 Mar. 6 This is the genre of science-fiction known as ‘cyberpunk,’ in which protagonists lose themselves inside the universe of computers, having cybersex with cyberbabes and cybercigarettes afterward.
1996 Boston Herald (Nexis) 25 Aug. (Finance section) 31 While individual cyberbabes may be blazing trails to this new frontier [sc. the Internet], most of us are not as much in the loop as we ought to be.
2000 Mirror (Nexis) 16 Mar. 12 ‘I'm a real cyber babe,’ she laughs. ‘I buy my groceries online, pay my bills, do my banking—run my life.’
2006 S. E. Matrix Cyberpop 112 Being too lifelike may spell virtual or literal erasure for the pixel vixen, as was the case for the nameless cyberbabe that W Magazine commissioned for a cover photo.
cyber-bully n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌbʊli/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌbʊli/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌbʊli/
(a) an experienced user of computers who intimidates new users; (b) a person who engages in cyber-bullying.Sense (a) apparently represents an isolated use./ˈsaɪbərˌbʊli/ΚΠ
1994 San Diego Union-Tribune 27 Sept. (Computer Link section) 16/4 ‘Modems for Dummies’..is loaded with encouragement to ‘newbies’ to ignore the cyber-bullies who think they are so hot because they got online first.
1995 N.Y. Times 8 Mar. c1 ‘Pretty soon they seem obsessed, they start getting nasty on line, they abandon all decorum.’.. A would-be master gone awry can become a cyberbully.
2007 R. M. Kowalski in B. H. Spitzberg & W. R. Cupach Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication (ed. 2) vii. 190 The anonymity afforded by cyber-bullying suggests that cyber-bullies are, in all likelihood, not the same individuals as the schoolyard bullies.
cyber-bullying n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌbʊlɪɪŋ/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌbʊlɪɪŋ/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌbʊliɪŋ/
the use of information technology to bully a person by sending or posting text or images of an intimidating or threatening nature./ˈsaɪbərˌbʊliɪŋ/ΚΠ
1998 Canberra Times 18 Nov. 12/1 According to the findings of a study.., cyber bullying is growing.
2008 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 26 June 21/2 (advt.,) In this increasingly digital world, cyber-bullying has emerged as an electronic form of bullying that is difficult to monitor or supervise.
cybercash n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəkaʃ/
, /ˈsʌɪbəkaʃ/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌkæʃ/
funds used in electronic financial transactions, esp. over the internet; (also) spec. money stored on an electronic smart card./ˈsaɪbərˌkæʃ/ΚΠ
1993 Worth Sept. 60 (heading) How to make cybercash.
1994 Guardian 30 June (OnLine section) 8/3 A more simple keying reader reveals what's on the [Mondex] card. It's cybercash, paramoney, telemoney, offline digital money, paperless banking or your ticket to the infobahn.
2000 Calgary (Alberta) Herald (Nexis) 4 Dec. d1 Suite101 promised to put some money in an online wallet so each test participant could do some real shopping with cyber cash!
cyberchondriac n.
Brit. /ˌsʌɪbəˈkɒndrɪak/
, /ˌsʌɪbəˈkɒndrɪak/U.S. /ˌsaɪbərˈkɑndriˌæk/
[ < cyber- comb. form + -chondriac (in hypochondriac adj.)] chiefly depreciative (a) a person who worries irrationally about the condition of his or her computer; (b) a person who (obsessively) researches health information on the internet, typically to find a disease matching particular (real or imagined) symptoms.Sense (a) apparently represents an isolated use./ˌsaɪbərˈkɑndriˌæk/ΚΠ
1993 Age (Melbourne) 14 Jan. (Green Guide section) 21/3 Now, before everyone turns into cyberchondriacs, I have good news! Doc's Fix-it Systems are..offering some cures for whatever ails your games console.
1996 Business Wire (Nexis) 12 Sept. (heading) ‘Cyberchondriacs’ and those in need log on in ever bigger numbers.
2007 M. A. Bell et al. Cybersins & Digital Good Deeds 40 Cyberchondriacs often second-guess their doctors when they get reassuring reports about their health.
cybercommunity n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəkəˌmjuːnᵻti/
, /ˈsʌɪbəkəˌmjuːnᵻti/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərkəˌmjunədi/
a group of people who interact via a computer network (esp. the internet) to pursue a shared interest; (also) people who interact on the internet, considered collectively./ˈsaɪbərkəˌmjunədi/ΚΠ
1993 F. E. Katz Ordinary People & Extraordinary Evil 113 Participatory design has been the hallmark of the most successful cybercommunities, especially the MUDs and MOOs.
1996 New Scientist 9 Mar. 11/1 This case..will set a critical precedent for how the cybercommunity will protect its citizens while safeguarding their freedom.
2000 D. D'Souza Virtue of Prosperity vi. 159 We should not expect cybercommunities to do the work that real-world communities do.
2009 Financial Times 30 Jan. 8 The [Vietnamese] government has cracked down on the country's vibrant cyber community, closing websites and imprisoning those who use the internet to challenge the Communist party.
cybercop n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəkɒp/
, /ˈsʌɪbəkɒp/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌkɑp/
colloquial (a) Science Fiction a cybernetically engineered or modified police officer; (b) a police officer who deals with cybercrime.In quot. 1989 as the title of a computer game./ˈsaɪbərˌkɑp/ΚΠ
1989 PC/Computing 1 July 190/1 Cyber Cop List Price: $29.95 128 k ram, cga/ega graphics.
1992 San Diego Union-Tribune 24 Sept. (Night & Day section) 3/2 The malleable cybercop in ‘Terminator 2’ walks through prison bars.
1993 P. Ouellette Deus Machine xvi. 218 His first task is to find the file section that gives the modems the information they need to make calls over the international satellite network. But now he hits a barrier erected by the Cyber Cops.
2002 D. Verton Hacker Diaries iii. 61 He was one of the FBI's most experienced cybercops and had actually helped develop many of the Bureau's computer-crime investigative techniques.
cybercrime n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəkrʌɪm/
, /ˈsʌɪbəkrʌɪm/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌkraɪm/
crime or a crime committed using computers or the internet./ˈsaɪbərˌkraɪm/ΚΠ
1991 Underground Beat Spring 14 (title) Cybercrime. Essays by John Perry Barlow on hackers and crackers.
1994 U.S. News & World Rep. 14 Mar. 71/3 To combat such cybercrimes, the FBI drafted eight agents with widely varying backgrounds in computer technology.
2005 Computer Weekly 19 Apr. 43/3 Cybercrime threatens to undermine the confidence of consumers doing business online.
cybercriminal n. /ˈsaɪbərˌkrɪmn(ə)l/ a person who commits crime using computers or the internet.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌkrɪmᵻnl/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌkrɪmᵻnl/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌkrɪmən(ə)l/
, /ˈsaɪbərˌkrɪmən(ə)l//ˈsaɪbərˌkrɪmn(ə)l/ΚΠ
1993 Re: Hacker v. Cracker in alt.folklore.computers (Usenet newsgroup) 15 Aug. On Usenet and in the hacker community,..cybercriminals/cyberterrorists/cyberscum are called ‘crackers’.
2000 South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) 5 May (Business section) 10/1 Cyber-criminals have moved in to grab a piece of the action—on the Internet and in the exploding telecommunications field.
2007 Independent 19 Mar. 6/5 Cybercriminals are using an increasingly sophisticated array of techniques to steal confidential information.
cybercrook n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəkrʊk/
, /ˈsʌɪbəkrʊk/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌkrʊk/
= cybercriminal n./ˈsaɪbərˌkrʊk/ΚΠ
1992 Forbes 21 Dec. 184/1 A new breed of computer hackers. These aren't just thrill-seeking, boastful kids, but serious (if boastful) cybercrooks.
2007 M. Frauenfelder Rule Web x. 374 An evil twin is a wireless network set up by cybercrooks to capture any personal and financial information you send over it.
cyberfeminism n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌfɛmᵻnɪz(ə)m/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌfɛmᵻnɪz(ə)m/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˈˌfɛməˌnɪz(ə)m/
a feminist movement concerned with countering the perceived dominance of men in the use and development of information technology, the internet, etc./ˈsaɪbərˈˌfɛməˌnɪz(ə)m/ΚΠ
1992 Spare Rib Oct. 13/1 (advt.) Birmingham International Film and Television Festival... Featuring..Sadie Plant—the radical theorist on cyber-feminism.
1998 Art Jrnl. 57 47 Cyberfeminism has only taken its first steps in contesting technologically complex territories that have been overcoded to a mythic degree as a male domain.
2007 K. Toffoletti Cyborgs & Barbie Dolls i. 24 By endorsing cyberspace as female space, cyberfeminism strives to challenge and change the male-defined technological landscape.
cybergeek n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəɡiːk/
, /ˈsʌɪbəɡiːk/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌɡik/
slang a person who is extremely knowledgeable about or (obsessively) interested in computer technology (esp. the internet), often regarded as lacking other interests or knowledge, socially inept, etc.; = geek n. 1c./ˈsaɪbərˌɡik/ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > [noun] > ability to use > specialist, enthusiast
computer scientist1957
computerist1964
hacker1969
techie1970
hack1972
computer hacker1976
geek1983
tech-head1983
techno-head1988
cybergeek1992
alpha geek1993
1992 Business Week 22 June (Government section) 116/1 Increasingly, computer nerds and cybergeeks are redefining the ways candidates communicate with voters.
2002 PC Gamer Mar. 50/3 From videogame heroine and cyber-geek pin-up girl to goddess of the silver screen.
2005 M. Cunningham Specimen Days (2006) 105 When the call came she'd thought: white kid, somewhere between an old twelve and a young fifteen, standard cybergeek sitting in a smelly boy-room.
cyberjournalist n. /ˈsʌɪbəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst/,
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌdʒəːnəlɪst/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌdʒəːnəlɪst//ˈsʌɪbəˌdʒəːnl̩ɪst/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌdʒərnl̩əst/
a journalist whose work is primarily published online./ˈsaɪbərˌdʒərnl̩əst/ΚΠ
1994 PR Newswire (Nexis) 26 July Armed with electronic notebooks, digital cameras and cellular modems, a platoon of cyberjournalists will compose and file multimedia reports containing text, graphics and photos as well as live interviews.
2003 Guardian 10 Nov. 34 The muck-raking cyber journalist..first published details of Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky.
2006 C. George Contentious Journalism & Internet ii. 43 Under Malaysian and Singaporean law, cyberjournalists are no less accountable for what they write than print journalists.
cyber kid n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbə kɪd/
, /ˈsʌɪbə kɪd/U.S. /ˈsaɪbər ˌkɪd/
(a) Science Fiction a child brought up or created by a robot or computer; (b) a young person who is a habitual or expert user of computers (now the usual sense)./ˈsaɪbər ˌkɪd/ΚΠ
1966 I. Varshavsky in Path into Unknown 10 A worthy product of a machine upbringing..her little cyberkid.
1987 T. Leary Info-psychol. Pref. p. iii This new species of Cyber-kids, encouraged by Dr. Spock to think for themselves,..were the first generation to explore and inhabit the Info-World.
1994 Washington Post 9 Aug. c1 Cyber kids spliced together their own music videos and created hybrid portraits on Macintosh screens.
2008 D. L. Golemon Ancients viii. 147 Most of the cyber kids were..doing homework or chatting up on MySpace.
cyberland n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəland/
, /ˈsʌɪbəland/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌlænd/
(a) a notional world controlled by machines or computers (rare); (b) = cyberworld n./ˈsaɪbərˌlænd/ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > [noun] > computing environment
cyberland1975
matrix1976
cyberspace1982
cyberworld1991
metaverse1992
webspace1993
1975 M. Laver Computers, Communications, & Society 81 When to industrial and commercial automation we add the automation of government, men and women will fall outside the control loops, and we could become redundant ciphers in cyberland.
1992 Hollywood Reporter (Nexis) 3 Apr. Williams is testing an on-line games network that allows Sierra users across the country to interact with one another, competing in games and cavorting in a..computer environment called ‘Cyberland’.
2007 Guardian 15 Nov. (Technology section) 4/2 They are the opposite end of the spectrum to those who live their whole lives in cyberland, in that they live in and enjoy all that the reality of the big world bestows on them.
cyberlaw n. /ˈsaɪbərˌlɑ/ law or a law relating to internet and computer offences, esp. fraud, copyright infringement, etc.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəlɔː/
, /ˈsʌɪbəlɔː/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌlɔ/
, /ˈsaɪbərˌlɔ//ˈsaɪbərˌlɑ/ΚΠ
1992 Re: Connection in bit.listserv.lawsch-l (Usenet newsgroup) 29 Jan. I'm interested in patent or intellectual property, but would also like to do some cyber-law, so to speak.
1994 CompuServe Mag. Mar. 19/1 Other hot cyberlaw issues include..the debate over who owns the rights to online materials.
2006 Z. K. Shalhoub & S. L. Al Qasini Diffusion E-commerce in Developing Econ. v. 260 Few countries in the developing world have drafted cyberlaws.
cyberlibertarian n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəlɪbəˌtɛːrɪən/
, /ˈsʌɪbəlɪbəˌtɛːrɪən/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌlɪbərˈˌtɛriən/
a person who opposes government regulation of the internet./ˈsaɪbərˌlɪbərˈˌtɛriən/ΚΠ
1994 Amer. Prospect Summer 20 ‘Cyber-libertarians’ don't blame America's underclass for its wretched state. No, if anything, we finger white paleo-liberals.
1997 New Scientist 12 July 19/3 The Internet last week echoed to the sound of cyberlibertarians congratulating each other when the US Supreme Court threw out the Communications Decency Act.
2006 S. Lacy & J. M. Bauer in A. B. Albarran et al. Handbk. Media Managem. & Econ. xxix. 667 Until recently, cyberlibertarians and policymakers alike have demanded that the Internet remain free from regulation.
cyberlife n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəlʌɪf/
, /ˈsʌɪbəlʌɪf/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌlaɪf/
the part of a person's life that is spent in a virtual reality environment or (now usually) using the internet; also as a mass noun./ˈsaɪbərˌlaɪf/ΚΠ
1991 Mother Jones May 62 (headline) Get a cyberlife.
1998 A. N. Markham Life Online v. 183 He talked about his cyberlife as compared to real life.
2008 Denver Post 15 Jan. f6 Most parents recognize that cyberlife is as much a part of teen socializing these days as passing notes in class was a few decades ago.
cybermall n. /ˈsʌɪbəmɔːl/, /ˈsaɪbərˌmɑl/ a commercial website through which a range of goods may be purchased; a virtual shopping mall on the internet.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəmal/
, /ˈsʌɪbəmal//ˈsʌɪbəmɔːl/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌmɔl/
, /ˈsaɪbərˌmɔl//ˈsaɪbərˌmɑl/ΚΠ
1993 Canad. Business Dec. 65 (heading) In the cybermall, parking's no problem.
2005 Business Week (Electronic ed.) 7 Mar. 28 Rakuten..has a larger stock-trading arm, runs Japan's No. 1 cybermall, and gets roughly twice Livedoor's traffic.
cyberman n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəman/
, /ˈsʌɪbəman/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌmæn/
chiefly British (frequently with capital initial) a type of cyborg featured in Doctor Who, a BBC television science-fiction series (see Tardis n.); (also in extended use) any cyborg or humanoid robot./ˈsaɪbərˌmæn/ΚΠ
1966 Observer 9 Oct. 23/5 A cyberman made his first appearance last evening in the new BBC children's serial ‘Dr Who and the Tenth Planet.’
1982 Guardian 16 June (Arts section) 9/2 There are blind men and mad men, cyber-men and bird men. There are insects and clowns, jokers and ogres.
1995 S. Rushdie Moor's Last Sigh (1997) iii. 295 About the robots even I will tell you, the manufacture of high-technology minority-rights cybermen to attack and murder Hindus.
2005 A. Cartmel Through Time iii. 54 Unlike the mutated Daleks, the Cybermen were once men..and have voluntarily forsaken their humanity, turning themselves into men-machine hybrids.
cyberporn n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəpɔːn/
, /ˈsʌɪbəpɔːn/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌpɔrn/
pornography accessed by means of a computer, esp. on the internet./ˈsaɪbərˌpɔrn/ΚΠ
1989 Re: Reality you have Dialed in alt.cyberpunk (Usenet newsgroup) 30 Dec. Cyberporn actors and actresses will be people who take great pleasure from the work they do.
1992 N.Y. Times 15 Nov. ix. 3/1 Conceived of as a sort of Silicon Valley-meets-smut publication—Lisa Palac, the editor, prefers the term ‘cyberporn’—Future Sex is dedicated to the proposition that ‘computer science is changing the way we think about sex’.
2007 G. Stamatellos Computer Ethics x. 88 Cyberporn makes parents distrustful of the Internet.
cyber-romance n. /ˈsʌɪbərə(ʊ)ˌmans/,
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌrəʊmans/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌrəʊmans//ˈsʌɪbərə(ʊ)ˌmans/U.S. /ˈsaɪbə(r)ˌroʊˌmæns/
a romantic relationship taking place in a virtual reality environment or (now usually) via the internet; also as a mass noun./ˈsaɪbə(r)ˌroʊˌmæns/ΚΠ
1992 Star Tribune (Minneapolis) 20 Mar. 19 e The special effects are outstanding, including an episode..in which two computer-generated configurations of electronics engange [sic] in a passionate cyber-romance.
2001 M. M. Maheu & R. B. Subotnik Infidelity on Internet i. 4 If I have a cyber-romance with someone of the same sex, does that mean I am a homosexual, and is it considered cheating on my spouse?
2006 New Scientist 29 Apr. 45/3 Plenty of people who have tried to make online relationships work in real life have been disappointed. For some, it's best to enjoy cyber-romance for what it is.
cyber school n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbə skuːl/
, /ˈsʌɪbə skuːl/U.S. /ˈsaɪbər ˌskul/
a teaching institution which provides education via the internet, rather than in a traditional school setting./ˈsaɪbər ˌskul/ΚΠ
1993 Vancouver Sun 13 Dec. c4 (headline) Cyberschool: Virtual High plugs students in to a new kind of alternative education.
2000 Independent 21 Mar. i. 3/2 Alameda cyber-school.., where pupils work all the time using computers and see facilitators or teachers just twice a week to organise their projects.
2009 F. S. Kelly et al. Teaching Digital Generation xiii. 201 The cyber school is not a physical place, but a service, available to students anytime, anywhere.
cybersecurity n. /ˈsʌɪbəsᵻˌkjɔːrᵻti/,
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəsᵻˌkjʊərᵻti/
, /ˈsʌɪbəsᵻˌkjʊərᵻti//ˈsʌɪbəsᵻˌkjɔːrᵻti/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərsəˌkjʊrədi/
security relating to computer systems or the internet, esp. that intended to protect against viruses or fraud./ˈsaɪbərsəˌkjʊrədi/ΚΠ
1989 S. B. Furber VLSI RISC Archit. & Organisation App. D. 298 We consider transmission security in relation to the risk of physical destruction of system elements and concerns about cyber security.
2006 Sci. Amer. (U.K. ed.) Sept. 22/2 Cybersecurity needs immediate, sustained attention.
cybersmut n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəsmʌt/
, /ˈsʌɪbəsmʌt/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌsmət/
= cyberporn n./ˈsaɪbərˌsmət/ΚΠ
1993 Working Woman Dec. 64/1 (heading) Adventures in cyber-smut.
1995 Georgetown Law Jrnl. 83 1974 We should largely ignore the growing presence of cybersmut and concentrate instead on expanding access—especially for young people—to online sexual discussion.
2005 A. Turner Net Bomb 86 Beyond cybersmut there is very little on line right now that you would..pay an additional fee to be able to see.
cyberspeak n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəspiːk/
, /ˈsʌɪbəspiːk/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌspik/
jargon relating to computers or the internet./ˈsaɪbərˌspik/ΚΠ
1991 Vancouver Sun 31 Aug. d3 (heading) A beginner's guide to Cyberspeak.
2006 Eng. Jrnl. 95 32/1 ‘Now I'm ROTFL!’ (That's..‘rolling on the floor laughing’ for those of us not versed in cyberspeak.)
cybersphere n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəsfɪə/
, /ˈsʌɪbəsfɪə/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌsfɪ(ə)r/
the sphere or realm of information technology, now esp. the internet./ˈsaɪbərˌsfɪ(ə)r/ΚΠ
1978 F. M. Hetzler in Philos. Aspects Thanatol. I. 112 The knowledge given to man via the multimedia, e.g. TV, videotape, microfilm, laser beams, satellite. ERTS-1, film strip, computer, and other cybersphere presentations.
1987 N. Spinrad Little Heroes (1989) 160 Blissfully ensconced behind their keyboards and screens.., living, eating, and breathing the ozone air of their beloved cybersphere day and night.
2007 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 19 Aug. ix. 2/1 The sexual frontier..has largely shifted to the cybersphere.
cyberstalker n. /ˈsaɪbərˌstɑkər/ a person who engages in cyberstalking.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌstɔːkə/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌstɔːkə/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌstɔkər/
, /ˈsaɪbərˌstɔkər//ˈsaɪbərˌstɑkər/ΚΠ
1994 Fresno (Calif.) Bee 7 Mar. a1 Within weeks, she found herself trapped in a frightening game with an elusive cyberstalker called Vito who has threatened her life, sent her pornographic ‘e-mail’ and may be following her around the country.
2008 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 7 Sept. (Styles section) 6/2 ‘Hey, Amy! Did you know there's this guy on the Internet who writes all these things about you?’ ‘Yes, I know, he's my cyberstalker.’
cyberstalking n. /ˈsaɪbərˌstɑkɪŋ/ the use of information technology to harass a person by sending or posting text or images of an obsessive, intimidating, or offensive nature.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌstɔːkɪŋ/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌstɔːkɪŋ/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌstɔkɪŋ/
, /ˈsaɪbərˌstɔkɪŋ//ˈsaɪbərˌstɑkɪŋ/ΚΠ
1994 Michigan Chron. 1 June 1 c/6 A local man is something of a celebrity this week as he has become one of the first people in the country to be charged with ‘cyber-stalking’, via America Online's (AOL) electronic mail service.
2008 Sci. Amer (U.K. ed.) Oct. 65/3 The coming together of our digital and physical personas presents opportunities for progress... But it is also an opportunity for identity theft, cyberstalking and cyberbullying, and digital espionage.
cyberstore n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəstɔː/
, /ˈsʌɪbəstɔː/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌstɔr/
= cybershop n./ˈsaɪbərˌstɔr/ΚΠ
1991 Vancouver Sun 10 July d7/6 Woodward began planning Cyberstore as an ‘electronic shopping mall’ in 1989.
1994 Age (Melbourne) (Nexis) 1 Feb. (Computers section) 23 He says his ‘cyberstore’ is still in its infancy.
2008 M. Atkinson & L. Shifrin Flickipedia Introd. p. xi Soon enough, we will be able to jack into a cinematic cyberstore and ask to see any movie, at any time, anywhere.
cybersurf v.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəsəːf/
, /ˈsʌɪbəsəːf/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌsərf/
intransitive and transitive to use or browse the internet or another computer network; = surf v. 4./ˈsaɪbərˌsərf/ΚΠ
1993 Herald Sun (Melbourne) 19 May 45/4 Using services such as Compuserve (or the even bigger Internet..) is the best way to start navigating the electronic savannah (or ‘cybersurfing’ as it is sometimes known).
1994 B. Heslop & D. Angell Instant Internet Guide p. ix Cybersurfing the Internet for the uninitiated can be a wipeout.
2001 Daily Tel. 8 Aug. 31/7 AOL UK has conducted a charming survey as to what internet users wear when they cybersurf. A quarter of those in the South East like to keep their ‘smart work clothes’ on.
2007 L. M. Hagan in E. L. Toth Future of Excellence in Public Relations & Communication Managem. xx. 433 Conducting research by scanning the media—such as ‘cybersurfing’ Internet sites, Web blogs, and chat groups—are effective techniques used in issues management.
cybersurfer n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌsəːfə/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌsəːfə/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌsərfər/
a person who (habitually) uses or browses the internet (cf. surfer n. 2b)./ˈsaɪbərˌsərfər/ΚΠ
1993 Sacramento (Calif.) Bee 1 Oct. (Scene section) 8/1 Bulletin boards and online services are already huge and it's just going to get bigger. People who make fun of cybersurfers are just jealous or too stupid to know better.
2007 Information Week 30 July 56/1 Are you part of the blogosphere? By that I mean not just a cybersurfer or search engine junkie, but an active participant in the ongoing online dialogue.
cybersurfing n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌsəːfɪŋ/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌsəːfɪŋ/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌsərfɪŋ/
the action or practice of using (esp. browsing) the internet; cf. surfing n. 3./ˈsaɪbərˌsərfɪŋ/ΚΠ
1994 Computerworld 14 Feb. 26/1 Internet pioneers said most employees do not abuse their access and do their cyber surfing on their own time at home.
2008 H. Boehnke-Sharp Goddess in Groove ii. 45 Traditional teen recreation has gone from sports and mall watching to cybersurfing and online chatting.
cyberterrorism n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌtɛrərɪz(ə)m/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌtɛrərɪz(ə)m/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌtɛrəˌrɪz(ə)m/
the unlawful (and often politically motivated) use of computers or information technology to cause disruption, fear, or financial loss./ˈsaɪbərˌtɛrəˌrɪz(ə)m/ΚΠ
1994 South Bend (Indiana) Tribune 2 Jan. f10/1 Cyberterrorism. This concept sees criminals of all types..tapping into American computers, possibly bringing the country's entire economy to a standstill.
2005 Independent 24 Mar. 35/1 (headline) Our society is at grave risk from cyber-terrorism.
cyberterrorist n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌtɛrərɪst/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌtɛrərɪst/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌtɛrərəst/
a perpetrator of cyberterrorism./ˈsaɪbərˌtɛrərəst/ΚΠ
1993 N.Y. Times 8 Aug. ix. 9 1988—First serious cyber-terrorist: a Cornell University student..infects Darpanet, the Defense Department's computer network, with a computer virus.
2006 P. P. Purpura Terrorism & Homeland Security ii. 61 Cyberterrorists can cover their tracks and, with the use of encryption programs that are almost unbreakable, make the attack appear as if it originated from another source.
cyber-thriller n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌθrɪlə/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌθrɪlə/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌθrɪlər/
a novel, film, etc., in the thriller genre having a plot which deals with cybercrime or (futuristic) technology./ˈsaɪbərˌθrɪlər/ΚΠ
1992 Cyber Movie in alt.cyberpunk (Usenet newsgroup) 12 Jan. The movie is called Freejack. It's apparently a cyberthriller.
1993 Sunday Oregonian (Portland, Oregon) 29 Aug. b8/2 (heading) Cyber-thriller rich with imagination.
2008 Hollywood Reporter 18 Jan. 16 This taut, savvy cyber-thriller makes for one of the better Net flicks.
cyberwarfare n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌwɔːfɛː/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌwɔːfɛː/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˈˌwɔrˌfɛ(ə)r/
the infiltration or disruption of computer or other information technology systems for strategic or military purposes; cf. cyberwar n./ˈsaɪbərˈˌwɔrˌfɛ(ə)r/ΚΠ
1994 PRNewswire (Factiva) 10 June Cyber-warfare doctrine discloses that President Clinton will have to resolve a dispute between the National Security Agency and the Department of Defense as to who will develop plans for warfare of the future.
1999 Washingtonian Apr. 47/1 Cyberwarfare will replace the blitzkrieg of the 20th century.
2007 Jrnl. Criminal Law & Criminol. 97 1 Was it cyberwarfare—a virtual sortie by People's Liberation Army hackers?
cyberwarrior n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəˌwɒrɪə/
, /ˈsʌɪbəˌwɒrɪə/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌwɔriər/
(a) a soldier using or outfitted with technologically advanced equipment (now rare); (b) a person who uses computer technology to disrupt the activities of a government or organization, esp. by infiltrating and attacking information technology systems for strategic or military purposes; (also) a person employed to defend a government or organization against such attacks.In quot. 1993 in a science fiction context./ˈsaɪbərˌwɔriər/ΚΠ
1993 Char. Summaries List in alt.pub.dragons-inn (Usenet newsgroup) 28 Jan. In his homeworld of Telrir, Max was a CyberWarrior for the Council of Tzarth.
1995 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News (Nexis) 29 May 1 f Despite the technology, today's cyber-warrior still has a lot in common with yesterday's infantryman.
1995 Sunday Times (Nexis) 15 Oct. The students, roaming the Internet on their laptop computers to devise ever more chilling strategies for creating chaos, are the first generation of cyber warriors.
2007 Daily Tel. 5 Sept. 16/2 After China denied that it was..behind hackers who breached Pentagon security networks.., ‘cyberwarriors’ acting at the behest of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) were blamed.
2014 N. Gertz Philos. War & Exile iv. 94 Although we are aware of the existence of these drone operators and cyberwarriors, we nevertheless take them for granted.
cyberworld n.
Brit. /ˈsʌɪbəwəːld/
, /ˈsʌɪbəwəːld/U.S. /ˈsaɪbərˌwərld/
= cyberspace n.; (also) a computer-generated environment, a virtual reality./ˈsaɪbərˌwərld/ΘΚΠ
society > computing and information technology > [noun] > computing environment
cyberland1975
matrix1976
cyberspace1982
cyberworld1991
metaverse1992
webspace1993
society > computing and information technology > software > [noun] > applications program > virtual reality
artificial reality1969
virtual reality1979
virtuality1988
VR1989
cyberworld1991
augmented reality1992
1991 H. Rheingold Virtual Reality ii. v. 110 By 2010, that first [virtual] room of Sutherland's will have multiplied itself into a virtual cosmos. It is impossible to say, in today's terms, how vast that future cyberworld will be.
1993 Macworld Dec. 77/1 In Spectre Supreme, you play a cybertank in a cyberworld where all kinds of bad guys are trying to cyberkill you.
2004 J. Moore Dot.homme (2005) xv. 194 Each facing disappointment..as they embark on meetings with strangers they have encountered on the Internet. Hoping that, this time, cyberworld has come up trumps.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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comb. form1961