Vulcan
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈvʌlkən/
Forms: form: more Vulcan
form: most Vulcan
Etymology: From Vulcan (etymology 1), from the Star Trek TV series of the 1960s. The adjective is by analogy with -an.
Senses: examples: text: On the other hand, any being with intellect, will and self-awareness is, by definition, human, whatever its outward appearance or solar system of origin. Captain Kirk is properly Terran, as Spock is Vulcan or Worf is Klingon. They are all human.
ref: 1994 June 26, Marie Brown Loehr, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 May 2015:
text: After her [Michael Burnham’s] human parents were killed by Klingons, she was raised by a Vulcan father and a human mother, along with the couple’s biological child, Spock. “Burnham was envisioned as a woman who must find the balance between two distinctly different ideologies,” said [Sonequa] Martin-Green. “Being human yet indoctrinated with a Vulcan way of life causes an inner conflict that is familiar to a lot of people.”
ref: 2019 January 22, CBS All Access, “Women Drive the Action in ‘Star Trek: Discovery’”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Feb 2019:
text: She demonstrated her singing abilities on the show, often accompanying herself on the Vulcan lyre.
ref: 2022 July 31, Jordan Hoffman, “Nichelle Nichols, Pioneering Star Trek Actress and NASA Recruiter, Dies at Age 89”, in Radhika Jones, editor, Vanity Fair, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2022:
glosses: Of, relating to, resembling, or characteristic of the fictional Vulcans.
examples: text: The military has staffing down to a science (note that the top job is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff). Even four-star generals can think like a staffer. [Colin] Powell’s natural human instinct as a principal might be to run for president, but his Vulcan-staffer side tells him it’s a crazy idea.
ref: 1997 January 5, Joel Achenbach, “The Staffers of Life”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
text: The same could be said of Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist on “Bones” who is so driven and unfeeling that she has to have human emotions explained to her by an F.B.I. agent. (After six seasons, she has warmed up a little, but she hasn’t completely lost her Vulcan detachment.)
ref: 2011 March 29, Alessandra Stanley, “Body of Proof: Feisty Types? Try Looking in the Morgue”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Apr 2011:
text: This car is a victim of C.I., that is, "corporate image." As a brand, Acura is so lacking in emotion it's practically Vulcan.
ref: 2011 October 8, Dan Neil, “Acura TL: A Good Grille and a Better Car Behind It”, in The Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 Nov 2022:
glosses: Lacking emotion or overly analytical and boring.
Derived terms: Vulcan chess
Vulcan death grip
Vulcan grip
Vulcan mind meld
Vulcan nerve pinch
Vulcan salute