first contact

== English == === Noun === first contact (usually uncountable, plural first contacts) (anthropology) The first meeting between people of two previously unknown cultures. (science fiction) The first meeting between humans and extraterrestrials. (astronomy) The moment, during an eclipse or transit, when the apparent positions of the two bodies first touch. Coordinate terms: second contact, third contact, fourth contact ==== Translations ==== === References === Jesse Sheidlower, editor (2001–2026), “first contact n.”, in Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction.