positronic

Etymology

positron +‎ -ic. Coined by Isaac Asimov in his 1941 short story "Reason".

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɒz.ɪˈtɹɒn.ɪk/

Adjective

positronic (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to positrons.
   • 1937 September 1, Clifford Holley and Seymour Bernstein, “Grating Space of Barium-Copper-Stearate Films”, in Physical Review, volume 52, page 525:

     The element bombarded should be of high isotopic content, and should not give any other positronic radioelement whose lifetime is comparable to the one looked for.

2. (science fiction) Of or pertaining to a supposed analogue of electronics using positrons
   • 1941 April, Asimov, Isaac, “Reason”, in Astounding Science-Fiction, volume 27, number 2, page 44:

     By exact count, there are seventy-five thousand, two hundred and thirty-four operations necessary for the manufacture of a single positronic brain.

References

• “positronic” in Jeff Prucher, editor, Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction, Oxford; New York, N.Y.: Oxford University Press, 2007, →ISBN, page 151.
• positronic adj. at the OED Science Fiction Citations Project