Also called Nova Salmon. a Pacific salmon cured in the style of Nova Scotia salmon.
nova, (loosely) any smoked salmon.
A white dwarf star that suddenly and temporarily becomes extremely bright as a result of the explosion at its surface of material accreted from an expanding companion star. The material, mostly hydrogen and helium, is attracted by the white dwarf's gravity and accumulates under growing pressure and heat until nuclear fusion is ignited. Unlike a supernova, a nova is not blown apart by the explosion and gradually returns to its original brightness over a period of weeks to years. Because of their sudden appearance where no star had been previously visible, novae were long thought to be new stars. Since 1925, novae have been classified as variable stars.
Compare supernova
What is a nova? A nova is a star that temporarily becomes extremely bright and then returns to its original brightness. The plural of nova is novas or novae. A star is an object in outer space that is basically a big bright ball of gas. The Sun is the only star in our solar system. The Sun is a medium-sized star in the middle of its life. When a star the size of our Sun or smaller nears the end of its life, it becomes a white dwarf. A white dwarf is small (for a star) and, because of its size, not very bright. However, a white dwarf is very dense, so it has a strong gravitational pull. In a binary solar system, there are two stars. Sometimes, a white dwarf star in a binary system will pull hydrogen gas from a bigger, neighboring star. Eventually, it may pull so much hydrogen together that it causes an explosion. This explosion causes the white dwarf to become incredibly bright and become what is called a nova. A nova is temporary. Typically, a white dwarf only stays really bright for several days before returning to its original state. The white dwarf may again start pulling hydrogen from its neighbor and eventually again turn into a nova. Each cycle could take anywhere from a thousand to hundreds of thousands of years.
First recorded in 1680–90; from New Latin: noun use of feminine of Latin novus “new”; see also new
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The project, released just before Coachella, blended a diverse range of rhythms such as pop, Brazilian funk, R&B and bossa nova -- a mix that, for Sonza, is the essence of Brazil.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
The observations instead point to multiple ways a nova can unfold, including several outflows and delayed release of the star's outer envelope, reshaping how scientists understand these explosive episodes.
From Science Daily • Dec. 31, 2025
Pair the bagels with hand sliced nova salmon, cream cheese, and a slice of tomato for a true feast.
From Salon • Dec. 4, 2025
“Oganesson” is constructed around his delicate strummed riff, which recalls the ease of bossa nova, and it has an airiness and jazziness not found elsewhere on the record.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025
It also ensured that Brahe’s new system was quickly known throughout Europe, so that his arguments could be tested against the nova of 1604 and the comets of 1618.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
