Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “supernova” come from?

Supernova comes from English super- combined with nova, from Latin novus meaning "new," from Proto-Indo-European néwos.

supernova (English): The explosion of a star, which increases its...

Definitions

  1. The explosion of a star, which increases its...

Ancestry of “supernova”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Englishsuper-above, over, or upon; superior in size, quality,...
2Latinsuper-super-; over, above
3Latinsuper"accusative" above, on the top of, upon;...
4Latineks-uper—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanupérialternative reconstruction of *upér
6Proto-Indo-Europeanupérabove; over
7Proto-Indo-Europeanupóunder, below
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃ewp-—

Words derived from “supernova”

  • presupernova
  • bosenova
  • failed supernova
  • supernowa
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₃ewp- →