Etymology Attested since the 1950s, from transmit or transfer and matter; perhaps popularized by the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
1
Literature, Media, Publishing, Science fictionUK A teleporter; a fictional device that transfers/transmits matter from one location to another without the object traversing the intervening distance as itself.
One of these days.., they'll invent a Transmat that'll set you down anywhere.1959 June 23, Laurence Janifer, “Obey that Impulse!”, in Future Science Fiction, number 43, page 40:
Three lines of workers began to vanish into the transmats, heading for their homes in the android compounds of five continents, […]1970 June 23, Robert Silverberg, “The Tower of Glass”, in Galaxy Science Fiction, volume 30, number 3, page 83:
3 more examples
TIME LORD: Ah. Welcome, Doctor. DOCTOR: What's going on? Don't you realize how dangerous it is to intercept a transmat beam? TIME LORD: Oh, come, Doctor, not with our techniques. We Time Lords transcended such simple mechanical devices when the universe was less than half its present size.1975, Terry Nation, Genesis of the Daleks (Doctor Who, season 12, serial 4), opening dialogue
You are in a TRANS-MAT unit. You see a faulty control panel with a button on it.1983, The Long Way Home (video game published with 16/48 Magazine)
LYNDA: Oh, that's the transmat. Scrambles your head — I was sick for days.2005, Russell T Davies, Bad Wolf (Doctor Who series 1, episode 12)
transmat
verb
Etymology Attested since the 1950s, from transmit or transfer and matter; perhaps popularized by the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.
It wasn't far enough away to think about transmatting and besides, that was no longer a viable option, what with vandals having wrecked some of the booths in the area.1991, Peter David, Michael Jan Friedman, Carmen Carter, Robert Greenberger, Doomsday World (Star Trek: The Next Generation; 12), Pocket Books, →ISBN, page 171:
'No, you're not,' Blandish put in smoothly 'You're transmatting down with me. I'll head the away team and I'll consent to let you advise.'1999, Paul Magrs, Jeremy Hoad, The Blue Angel (Doctor Who: Eighth Doctor Adventures; 27), BBC Worldwide, →ISBN, page 36:
1 more example
Donna twisted her neck around to try to find the Doctor, but she realised that she'd been transmatted alone.2010, Mark Michalowski, Shining Darkness (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures; 27), BBC Worldwide, →ISBN, page 17: