nova

1 of 2

noun (1)

no·​va ˈnō-və 

plural novas or novae ˈnō-(ˌ)vē 

-ˌvī

: a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity in a few months or years

novalike

ˈnō-və-ˌlīk 

adjective

nova

2 of 2

noun (2)

often capitalized

: cured and smoked salmon

especially : salmon that has been cured in a mixture of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from New Latin, "newly visible star or nebula" (probably originally as ellipsis of nebula nova, later taken as ellipsis of stella nova "new star"), from feminine of Latin novus "new" — more at new entry 1

Noun (2)

short for Nova Scotia salmon

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1927, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1964, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing nova

• bossa nova

• bossa nova

Kids Definition

nova

noun

no·​va

ˈnō-və

plural novas or novae

-vē,

-ˌvī

: a star that suddenly increases greatly in brightness and then within a few months or years grows dim again