no|va

no|va «NOH vuh», noun, plural -vae «-vee», -vas.

a star that suddenly becomes much brighter and then gradually fades, to its normal brightness, over a period of several weeks, months, or sometimes years: »

[Stars] occasionally boil up to a state of instability that results in their exploding as a nova (William A. Fowler).

╂[< Latin nova, feminine singular of novus new]