repulsor beam meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

repulsor beam

noun

Etymology From repulse + -or and beam, a beam that repulses.

Literature, Media, Publishing, Science fiction A device that emits an energy beam capable of pushing away other objects.

Installed at the center of mass and set to repulsor-beam, this one would be able to move the entire planetoid from its orbit.1958 November, Poul Anderson, “A Bicycle Built for Brew”, in Astounding Science Fiction, volume 62, number 3:
Hooked my model tractor beam into ship's power. Now it's a repulsor beam too. Want in?1987, Dorothy Catherine Fontana, “The Naked Now”, in Star Trek: The Next Generation, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton):

2 more examples

I always wondered how cloud city in ESB stay afloat and does not fall? Is it some kind of repulsor beam, or what?1995 July 15, Umut Nurkan, “How does cloud city float?”, in rec.arts.sf.starwars (Usenet), message-ID <1995Jul14.190422.22468@hobbes.kzoo.edu>:
No, that indicates a cloaked Romulan vessel with a repulsor beam.2008 February 20, Iarnrod, “Re: WTC Towers: The case for controlled demolition”, in alt.conspiracy (Usenet):