Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A rare celestial phenomenon involving the explosion of a star and resulting in an extremely bright, short-lived object that emits vast amounts of energy. Depending on the type of supernova, the explosion may completely destroy the star, or the stellar core may survive to become a neutron star.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun astronomy A star which explodes, increasing its brightness to typically a billion times that of our sun, though attenuated by the great distance from our sun. Some leave only debris (Type I); others fade to invisibility as neutron stars (Type II).

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a star that explodes and becomes extremely luminous in the process

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

super- + nova

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Examples

  • To describe her, she said, don't use the word supernova.

    Drive Christian Bell 2011

  • To describe her, she said, don't use the word supernova.

    Drive Christian Bell 2011

  • "When a star explodes in what we call a supernova a large part of the explosion energy is used for accelerating some particles up to extremely high energies", says Helder.

    Science Blog - Science news straight from the source 2009

  • The storm, created by the supernova, is a portal to the Orion constellation (or a planet within.)

    BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: Holy Frack! | the TV addict 2007

  • Her great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    ON THE BUBBLE WITH LAURA LIPPMAN 2006

  • Her great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    ON THE BUBBLE WITH LAURA LIPPMAN 2006

  • Great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    ON THE BUBBLE - PERSONS OF INTEREST CONTINUED 2006

  • Her great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    ON THE BUBBLE WITH LAURA LIPPMAN 2006

  • Her great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    June 2006 2006

  • Great talent, beauty, brains, her warmth, crackling wit, generosity and welcome smile - all wrapped up in one long-legged supernova is just too damn much for one woman to have - but this lady has it all.

    December 2006 2006

Comments

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  • the difference between nova, kilonova, and supernova

    http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/august/nasas-hubble-finds-telltale-fireball-after-gamma-ray-burst/#.Uf2tE9eYnld

    A kilonova is about 1,000 times brighter than a nova, which is caused by the eruption of a white dwarf. The self-detonation of a massive star, a supernova, can be as much as 100 times brighter than a kilonova

    August 4, 2013

  • nova, kilonova, supernova, and hypernova can all be used as verbs.

    April 18, 2018

  • Not supported by examples nor personal experience.

    April 18, 2018

  • Really? I’m always hearing people say, “I’m going to supernova my erupt.” Maybe it’s different in Tasmania.

    April 18, 2018

  • I don't brother you I'm afraid.

    April 18, 2018