time machine

Coined by British science fiction author H. G. Wells in 1895 in his novel The Time Machine.

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time machine (plural time machines)

1. (chiefly science fiction) A hypothetical device used to travel into the past or the future.
   • 2014, Ingrid Michaelson, Trent Dabbs, busbee, “Time Machine”, in Lights Out‎^[1], performed by Ingrid Michaelson:

     If I had a time machine / And if life was a movie scene / I'd rewind, and I'd tell me / "Ru-u-u-u-u-u-u-un"

2. (informal) Something that appears to take a person or thing to another time, for example through nostalgia or delay.
   • 2017, Fine Art Photoshop: Diving Into the World of Photographic Art:

     It's a time machine for Photoshop. It's magic. Image makers can not just combine different images, but different points in time from each image.

   • Conrad Riker, The Last Days of Manhood

     Mayo Clinic research shows heavy squats spike growth hormone by 530%. That's not exercise — it's a time machine for your cells.

• time travel
• Einstein-Rosen bridge
• wayback machine