ansible

American  

[an-suh-buhl] / ˈæn sə bəl /

noun

1. (in science fiction) a device for instantaneous communication, or other purposes, across cosmic distances.

   With the ansible on the fritz, it would take eleven years for their message to reach the admiral, who was waging war in another galaxy.

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Etymology

Origin of ansible

Shortening of answerable; coined by Ursula K. Le Guin in her novel Rocannon's World (1966)

Example Sentences

After the Ansible Foundation Training course, you'll be able to manage a cloud region, create playbooks, and then some.

From Salon

I wanted to go to Orgoreyn and see if my guesses concerning it were sound, but I wanted to finish up with Karhide first, so I sold another ruby to the scar-faced jeweler in Eng Street, and with no baggage but my money, my ansible, a few instruments and a change of clothes, set off as a passenger on a trade-caravan on the first day of the first month of summer.

From Literature

The old Law of Cultural Embargo stood against the importation of analyzable, imitable artifacts at this stage, and so I had nothing with me except the ship and ansible, my box of pictures, the indubitable peculiarity of my body, and the unprovable singularity of my mind.

From Literature

It was there as insurance for just a situation as this, when my ansible was gone so that I could not ask Ollul to signal the ship, and I had not time or equipment to make direct contact with the ship in solar orbit.

From Literature

“My ansible transmitter is in the hands of the Sarf in Mishnory, presumably. However, when the ship comes down it will have an ansible aboard. I will have thenceforth, if acceptable to you, the position of Envoy Plenipotentiary of the Ekumen, and will be empowered to discuss, and sign, a treaty of alliance with Karhide. All this can be confirmed with Hain and the various Stabilities by ansible.”

From Literature