Etymology

tech noir

Today it means: A genre of film, science-fiction film-noir cinema. Full definition →

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The story

Blend of tech (“technology”) + film noir. From the close association of high tech with sci-fi. Folk etymology suggests this was coined by Canadian filmmaker and explorer James Cameron, when he named the dance club in the 1984 film The Terminator "Tech-Noir", and the fandom and critics labelled similar IP properties as "tech noir".

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.