supernova

See also: Supernova, supèrnova, supernovă, and süpernova

English

WOTD – 19 September 2026
A composite image of Cassiopeia A, a supernova remnant in the constellation Cassiopeia, imaged by the Chandra X-ray Observatory, a space telescope orbiting Earth.

Etymology

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *úp
Proto-Indo-European *-er
Proto-Indo-European *upér
Proto-Italic *super
Latin super
Latin super-lbor.
English super-
Proto-Indo-European *nu
Proto-Indo-European *néwos
Proto-Italic *nowos
Latin novusder.
English nova
English supernova

    From super- (prefix meaning ‘exceptionally large in quantity, excessive; superior in potency or power’) + nova (“sudden brightening of a previously inconspicuous star”),[1] coined by the German astronomer Walter Baade (1893–1960) and the Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky (1898–1974) who introduced the term in an astrophysics course and in seminars at the California Institute of Technology in 1931,[2] although it was the Swedish astronomer Knut Lundmark (1889–1958) who first used the word in print in a paper dated 31 December 1932 and published in 1933:[3] see the quotation.

    Pronunciation

    • Singular:
      • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsuːpəˌnəʊvə/, /ˌsuːpəˈnəʊvə/
      • Audio (Southern England); /ˌsuːpəˈnəʊvə/:(file)
      • (General American) IPA(key): /ˌsupəɹˈnəʊvə/, /ˈsupəɹˌnəʊvə/
      • Audio (General American); /ˈsupəɹˌnəʊvə/:(file)
      • Rhymes: -əʊvə
      • Hyphenation: su‧per‧no‧va
    • Plural (supernovae):

    Noun

    supernova (plural supernovae or (archaic) supernovæ or supernovas)

    1. (astronomy) A bright and powerful explosion of a massive star which is sudden but brief, and causes the ejection of most or all of the star's matter and the emission of radiation; afterwards, the star becomes a black hole or a neutron star, or is destroyed. [from 1930s]
      Synonym: (abbreviation) SN
      Hyponyms: fast-evolving luminous transient, kilonova, macronova, stripped-envelope supernova
      • 1932 December 31 (date written), Knut Lundmark, “The Pre-Tychonic Novae”, in Lund Observatory Circular, number 8, Lund, Scania, Sweden: Lund Observatory, published January 1933, →OCLC, page 218:
        But taking mmax‾=1 we find: / Mmax=−13.5, / which places the objects among the "upper class" or super-Novae.
        According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this is the earliest attestation of the word in print.
      • 1934 May 15, W[alter] Baade, F[ritz] Zwicky, “On Super-novae”, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, volume 20, number 5, Washington, D.C.: National Academy of Sciences, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 254–255:
        [page 254] The extensive investigations of extragalactic systems during recent years have brought to light the remarkable fact that there exist two well-defined types of new stars or novae which might be distinguished as common novae and super-novae. […] [page 255] Regarding the initial states of super-novae only the following meager facts are known. First, super-novae occur not only in the blurred central parts of nebulae but also in the spiral arms, which in certain cases are clearly resolved into individual stars. Secondly, the super-nova of 1572 in its initial stage probably was not brighter than apparent magnitude 5 as otherwise it would be registered as such in the old catalogues, which, however, is not the case. Super-novae are a much less frequent phenomenon than common novae. So far as the present observational evidence goes, their frequency is of the order of one super-nova per stellar system (nebula) per several centuries.
      • 1983–1984 (date recorded), Peter Gill, Holly Johnson, Mark O’Toole, Brian Nash, “Welcome To The Pleasuredome”, in Welcome to the Pleasuredome, performed by Frankie Goes to Hollywood, London: ZTT Records, published 29 October 1984, →OCLC:
        Shooting stars never stop even when they reach the top / There goes a supernova / What a pushover, yeah
      • 1985, Isaac Asimov, “Bigger Explosions”, in The Exploding Suns: The Secrets of the Supernovas (Truman Talley Books), New York, N.Y.: E[dward] P[ayson] Dutton, →ISBN, page 97:
        Supernovas are clearly incredible objects of astoundingly explosive character. Were it possible for our Sun to go supernova, it would vaporize every planet in the solar system by the time it had reached peak brilliance. Were it possible for Alpha Centauri, which is only 1.3 parsecs away, to go supernova, it would blaze in our day and night sky with a brightness that, at maximum, would be 15,500 times that of the full Moon, or about one-thirtieth that of the Sun.
      • 1991, Douglas Coupland, “Plastics Never Disintegrate”, in Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, New York, N.Y.: St. Martin’s Press, →ISBN, page 162:
        Dumpster clocking: The tendency when looking at objects to guesstimate the amount of time they will take to decompose: "Ski boots are the worst. Solid plastic. They'll be around till the sun goes supernova."
      • 1995 February–June (date recorded), Noel Gallagher, “Champagne Supernova”, in (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, performed by Oasis, London: Creation Records, published 2 October 1995, →OCLC:
        Someday you will find me / Caught beneath the landslide / In a champagne supernova / A champagne supernova in the sky
      • 2024 August 21, Ashley Strickland, “An Unusual Object is Moving so Fast It could Escape the Milky Way. Scientists aren’t Certain what It is”, in CNN‎[3], Atlanta, Ga.: Warner Bros. Discovery, archived from the original on 1 March 2026:
        In these stellar pairings, if the two stars are close together, the white dwarf will siphon mass away from its companion and have an outburst called a nova. And when the white dwarf accumulates too much mass, it will collapse and explode in a supernova. "In this kind of supernova, the white dwarf is completely destroyed, so its companion is released and flies off at whatever orbital speed it was originally moving, plus a little bit of a kick from the supernova explosion as well," [Adam] Burgasser said.
    2. (figurative) Something which is brilliant or explosive.
      • 1962 July 19, Geminus [pseudonym], “It Seems to Me”, in New Scientist, volume 15, number 296, London: Harrison, Raison and Co., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 155, column 1:
        For my taste Mr [Peter] Thorneycroft is a less heartening supernova. […] Unfortunately, however, I am jaundiced. In his zealous devotion to European causes Mr Thorneycroft has frequently used schemes for technical development as a means to a political end.
      • 2024 February 22, Jake Henry Smith, “Butter Yellow will be Everywhere this Year—Here’s How to Style It”, in Glamour‎[4], New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 15 May 2026:
        Butter yellow (yes, the pastel between canary and beige) has been on the rise for the past few years, and we've seen it splashed across enough recent runways and style influencers to finally make a call: The soft, silky shade is about to go supernova.

    Derived terms

    Translations

    References

    1. ^ “supernova, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2026; “supernova, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
    2. ^ Fritz Zwicky (January 1940), “Types of Novae”, in Reviews of Modern Physics, volume 12, number 1, New York, N.Y.: American Institute of Physics for the American Physical Society, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 66–85.
    3. ^ D[onald] E[dward] Osterbrock (December 2001), “Who Really Coined the Word Supernova? Who First Predicted Neutron Stars?”, in Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, volume 33, New York, N.Y.: American Institute of Physics for the American Astronomical Society, →Bibcode, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 1330.

    Further reading

    Dutch

    Etymology

    Probably borrowed from English supernova or German Supernova. Equivalent to super- +‎ nova.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˌsy.pərˈnoː.vaː/
    • Audio:(file)
    • Hyphenation: su‧per‧no‧va
    • Rhymes: -oːvaː

    Noun

    supernova f (plural supernovae or supernova's, diminutive supernovaatje n)

    1. (astronomy) supernova

    Further reading

    Finnish

    Etymology

    super- +‎ nova

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈsuperˌnoʋɑ/, [ˈs̠upe̞rˌno̞ʋɑ̝]
    • Rhymes: -oʋɑ
    • Syllabification(key): su‧per‧no‧va
    • Hyphenation(key): super‧nova

    Noun

    supernova

    1. (astronomy) supernova (exploding star)

    Declension

    Inflection of supernova (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
    nominative supernova supernovat
    genitive supernovan supernovien
    partitive supernovaa supernovia
    illative supernovaan supernoviin
    singular plural
    nominative supernova supernovat
    accusative nom. supernova supernovat
    gen. supernovan
    genitive supernovan supernovien
    supernovain rare
    partitive supernovaa supernovia
    inessive supernovassa supernovissa
    elative supernovasta supernovista
    illative supernovaan supernoviin
    adessive supernovalla supernovilla
    ablative supernovalta supernovilta
    allative supernovalle supernoville
    essive supernovana supernovina
    translative supernovaksi supernoviksi
    abessive supernovatta supernovitta
    instructive — supernovin
    comitative See the possessive forms below.
    Possessive forms of supernova (Kotus type 10/koira, no gradation)
    first-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative supernovani supernovani
    accusative nom. supernovani supernovani
    gen. supernovani
    genitive supernovani supernovieni
    supernovaini rare
    partitive supernovaani supernoviani
    inessive supernovassani supernovissani
    elative supernovastani supernovistani
    illative supernovaani supernoviini
    adessive supernovallani supernovillani
    ablative supernovaltani supernoviltani
    allative supernovalleni supernovilleni
    essive supernovanani supernovinani
    translative supernovakseni supernovikseni
    abessive supernovattani supernovittani
    instructive — —
    comitative — supernovineni
    second-person singular possessor
    singular plural
    nominative supernovasi supernovasi
    accusative nom. supernovasi supernovasi
    gen. supernovasi
    genitive supernovasi supernoviesi
    supernovaisi rare
    partitive supernovaasi supernoviasi
    inessive supernovassasi supernovissasi
    elative supernovastasi supernovistasi
    illative supernovaasi supernoviisi
    adessive supernovallasi supernovillasi
    ablative supernovaltasi supernoviltasi
    allative supernovallesi supernovillesi
    essive supernovanasi supernovinasi
    translative supernovaksesi supernoviksesi
    abessive supernovattasi supernovittasi
    instructive — —
    comitative — supernovinesi
    first-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative supernovamme supernovamme
    accusative nom. supernovamme supernovamme
    gen. supernovamme
    genitive supernovamme supernoviemme
    supernovaimme rare
    partitive supernovaamme supernoviamme
    inessive supernovassamme supernovissamme
    elative supernovastamme supernovistamme
    illative supernovaamme supernoviimme
    adessive supernovallamme supernovillamme
    ablative supernovaltamme supernoviltamme
    allative supernovallemme supernovillemme
    essive supernovanamme supernovinamme
    translative supernovaksemme supernoviksemme
    abessive supernovattamme supernovittamme
    instructive — —
    comitative — supernovinemme
    second-person plural possessor
    singular plural
    nominative supernovanne supernovanne
    accusative nom. supernovanne supernovanne
    gen. supernovanne
    genitive supernovanne supernovienne
    supernovainne rare
    partitive supernovaanne supernovianne
    inessive supernovassanne supernovissanne
    elative supernovastanne supernovistanne
    illative supernovaanne supernoviinne
    adessive supernovallanne supernovillanne
    ablative supernovaltanne supernoviltanne
    allative supernovallenne supernovillenne
    essive supernovananne supernovinanne
    translative supernovaksenne supernoviksenne
    abessive supernovattanne supernovittanne
    instructive — —
    comitative — supernovinenne
    third-person possessor
    singular plural
    nominative supernovansa supernovansa
    accusative nom. supernovansa supernovansa
    gen. supernovansa
    genitive supernovansa supernoviensa
    supernovainsa rare
    partitive supernovaansa supernoviaan
    supernoviansa
    inessive supernovassaan
    supernovassansa     		supernovissaan
    supernovissansa
    elative supernovastaan
    supernovastansa     		supernovistaan
    supernovistansa
    illative supernovaansa supernoviinsa
    adessive supernovallaan
    supernovallansa     		supernovillaan
    supernovillansa
    ablative supernovaltaan
    supernovaltansa     		supernoviltaan
    supernoviltansa
    allative supernovalleen
    supernovallensa     		supernovilleen
    supernovillensa
    essive supernovanaan
    supernovanansa     		supernovinaan
    supernovinansa
    translative supernovakseen
    supernovaksensa     		supernovikseen
    supernoviksensa
    abessive supernovattaan
    supernovattansa     		supernovittaan
    supernovittansa
    instructive — —
    comitative — supernovineen
    supernovinensa

    Derived terms

    compounds

    References

    Further reading

    French

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    supernova f (plural supernovas or supernovae or supernovæ)

    1. (astronomy) supernova

    Derived terms

    References

    Further reading

    Galician

    Noun

    supernova f (plural supernovas)

    1. (astronomy) supernova

    Further reading

    Italian

    Etymology

      From super- +‎ nova.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /su.perˈnɔ.va/
      • Rhymes: -ɔva
      • Hyphenation: su‧per‧nò‧va

      Noun

      supernova f (plural supernove)

      1. (astronomy) supernova

      Further reading

      Norwegian Bokmål

      Supernova SN 1994D is the bright point at lower left in this image of NGC 4526.

      Etymology

      Internationalism; see English supernova. The complete term is attested in English astronomical writing by 1933.[1] By surface analysis, super- (“exceptionally powerful”) +‎ nova (“nova”).

      The first element ultimately derives from Latin super- (“above, beyond”), from super, itself from Proto-Italic *super, from Proto-Indo-European *upér (“over, above”). The second derives from Latin nova, the feminine of novus (“new”), in stella nova (“new star”); novus continues Proto-Italic *nowos, from Proto-Indo-European *néwos (“new”).[2]

      Compare the corresponding international terms Norwegian Nynorsk supernova, Danish supernova, German Supernova, French supernova and English supernova.

      Pronunciation

      • IPA(key): /¹sʉː.pərˌnoː.ʋa/, [ˈsʉ̀ː.pəˌɳoː.ʋa][3]
      • Rhymes: -oːʋa
      • Hyphenation: su‧per‧no‧va

      Noun

      supernova m (definite singular supernovaen, indefinite plural supernovaer, definite plural supernovaene)

      1. (astronomy) supernova; an extremely powerful stellar explosion, or a star undergoing such an explosion.
        Astronomene oppdaget en supernova i en fjern galakse. ― The astronomers discovered a supernova in a distant galaxy.
        • 2000, Vigdis Hjorth, Hva er det med mor, page 19:
          hun lengter bort, sier hun, ut av solsystemet, mot […] eksploderende supernovaer, andre galakser
          she longs to get away, she says, out of the solar system, towards […] exploding supernovae, other galaxies
        • 2021, Petter Callin et al., ERGO Fysikk 1, page 465:
          restene etter en supernova kan vi se som en lysende gassky […]
          we can see the remains of a supernova as a glowing cloud of gas […]

      Synonyms

      • (abbreviation) SN

      Hyponyms

      Derived terms

      • supernovaeksplosjon (“supernova explosion”)
      • supernovarest (“supernova remnant”)

      References

      1. ^ David Wilton (2 September 2024), “nova / supernova”, in Wordorigins.org‎[1], archived from the original on 28 September 2026
      2. ^ Michiel de Vaan (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the Other Italic Languages, Brill, pages 416, 600–601
      3. ^ “NST uttaleleksikon for bokmål”, in Språkbanken‎[2], Nasjonalbiblioteket, 28 September 2026 (last accessed)

      Portuguese

      Etymology

      Etymology tree
      Proto-Indo-European *úp
      Proto-Indo-European *-er
      Proto-Indo-European *upér
      Proto-Italic *super
      Latin super
      Latin super-lbor.
      English super-
      Proto-Indo-European *nu
      Proto-Indo-European *néwos
      Proto-Italic *nowos
      Latin novusder.
      English nova
      English supernovabor.
      Portuguese supernova

        Borrowed from English supernova. By surface analysis, super- + nova (“nova”).

        Pronunciation

        • (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˌsu.peɾˈnɔ.vɐ/
         

        • Hyphenation: su‧per‧no‧va

        Noun

        supernova f (plural supernovas)

        1. (astronomy) supernova (exploding star)

        Further reading

        Serbo-Croatian

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /supernôːʋa/

        Noun

        supernȏva f (Cyrillic spelling суперно̑ва)

        1. (astronomy) supernova

        Further reading

        Slovak

        Etymology

          Derived from Latin supernova. By surface analysis, super- + nova (“nova”).

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /supernɔva/, [ˈsupernɔʋa]
          • Rhymes: -ɔva
          • Hyphenation: su‧per‧no‧va

          Noun

          supernova f

          1. (astronomy) supernova

          Declension

          Declension of supernova
          (pattern žena)
          singularplural
          nominativesupernovasupernovy
          genitivesupernovysupernov
          dativesupernovesupernovám
          accusativesupernovusupernovy
          locativesupernovesupernovách
          instrumentalsupernovousupernovami

          Further reading

          • “supernova”, in Slovníkový portál Jazykovedného ústavu Ľ. Štúra SAV [Dictionary portal of the Ľ. Štúr Institute of Linguistics, Slovak Academy of Science] (in Slovak), https://slovnik.juls.savba.sk, 2003–2026

          Spanish

          Pronunciation

          • IPA(key): /supeɾˈnoba/ [su.peɾˈno.β̞a]
          • Rhymes: -oba
          • Syllabification: su‧per‧no‧va

          Noun

          supernova f (plural supernovas)

          1. (astronomy) supernova

          References

          Further reading

          This page is issued from Wiktionary. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.