nova
noun
a star that suddenly becomes thousands of times brighter and then gradually fades to its original intensity.
novas
-
pluralof nova.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Zwicky Transient Facility scans the sky for stars that rapidly change in brightness, which could be events such as novas.
From Scientific American ● May 3, 2023
There was a kind of cosmic rightness: two novas exploding together.
From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2018
There’s so much music in Berlin’s stories, from the “Cielito Lindo” guitar players of her youth to her own music: Buddy Holly, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, the bossa novas of Astrud Gilberto.
From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2018
In the 1980s, Shara had predicted that novas, novalike systems and dwarf novas were the same stars in different stages of an eruption cycle.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 30, 2017
Arguments over the location of novas and comets in the heavens thus continued even after 1610, after which date the traditional Ptolemaic system was abandoned by all competent participants.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
