In the Star Trek universe, a telepathic union between two beings; in general use, a deep understanding. Hence mind-melding, adj. Compare mindlink.
- 1968 J.M. Lucas Elaan of Troyius ("Star Trek" script) (May 23) № 40: Mr.Spock, [...] he refuses to talk. I'll need you for the Vulcan mind-meld.
- 1968 S.E. Whitfield S.E. Whitfield & G. Roddenberry Making of "Star Trek" № 227: Another unique Vulcan ability exhibited by Spock is a type of ESP that the Vulcans refer to as "mind-melding."
- 1978 L. Schlessinger Sunday Gleaner Mag. (Kingston, Jam.) (Aug. 4) № 5/4: When people are in love, in an intimate relationships, there is not automatic mind[-]meld. People cannot know what is in each other's mind.
- 1994 Inuit Art Quarterly (Summer) № 20/3: When I think of it, all in all, I think we had a pretty good mind-meld. There's this whole other culture, this whole other way of being here, of being on the planet.
- 2005 San Francisco Chronicle (Jan. 30) № F7/5: It was going fine until we noticed that the older couple at the other end was engaged in some sort of unearthly sex — naked, yes, touching, no, just staring at each other in a mind meld.
The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction. Copyright © Oxford University Press Inc, 2007. All rights reserved.
