Wolf-Rayet star
[ woolf-rahy-ey; French vawlf-ra-ye ]
noun
a very hot (35,000–100,000 K) and luminous star in the early stages of evolution, with broad emission lines in its spectrum.
Origin of Wolf-Rayet star
11885–90; after French astronomers Charles J. E. Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906)
- Also called W-R star.
Words Nearby Wolf-Rayet star
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
British Dictionary definitions for Wolf-Rayet star
Wolf-Rayet star
/ (ˈwʊlfˈreɪət) /
noun
any of a small class of very hot intensely luminous stars surrounded by a rapidly expanding envelope of gas
Origin of Wolf-Rayet star
1C19: named after Charles Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906), French astronomers
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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