gafiate meaning (dated): definition, etymology and quotations

gafiate

noun

/ˈɡæfiˌɪt/

Etymology From GAFIA (“getting away from it all”) + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

Lifestyle, Literature, Media, Publishing, Science fiction Dated, Slang A science fiction fan who has become inactive in the fandom community.

Westlake's piece is so reminiscent of the old days of fandom, when no gafiate felt he had actually departed until he had alienated everybody on his mailing list.1962, J. Baxter, Xero:
Herman Stowell King, a long-time gafiate (we first met in the 60s) and collector, turned up in the local Sunday paper with a well-written review of Whitley Streiber's The Forbidden Zone.1993 October, It Goes On The Shelf, number 10:

1 more example

Perhaps the disappearance of the vast majority of the copies Dan mailed out in 1981 granted him limited immunity; he did just run for TAFF and win last year, hardly the act of an over-the-hill gafiate.1996 November, Andy Hooper, “Walking into Midnight”, in Science-Fiction Five-Yearly, number 10, page 37:

verb

/ˈɡæfiˌeɪt/

Etymology From GAFIA (“getting away from it all”) + -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Lifestyle, Literature, Media, Publishing, Science fiction Dated, Slang To leave the mundane world and enter the science fiction fandom community.

Lifestyle, Literature, Media, Publishing, Science fiction Slang To drop out of fandom community activities, with the implication of "getting a life".

QUANDRY (Hoffwoman) The famous fanzine published by Lee Hoffman of Savannah Ga. before she gafiated for the first time.1959, Richard "Dick" Harris Eney, Fancyclopedia II:
He was quite active in the 1940's, vanished for a long while, then reappeared in the 1960's to put out lots of issues of this fanzine with the help of his wife, only to gafiate a second time as abruptly and totally as anyone ever has quit fandom.1976 November, Harry Warner, Jr., “In One Lustrum and Out the Other”, in Science-Fiction Five-Yearly, number 6, page 11:

1 more example

And I didn't so much gafiate as move to Asia.2003 December 3, Marian Rosenberg (brucianna), “Re: Fandom”, in alt.polyamory (Usenet), message-ID <4VPxb.514513$6C4.365955@pd7tw1no>: