Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - nova

 I. noun  (plural ~s or ~e)  Etymology: New Latin, feminine of Latin novus new  Date: 1927 a star that suddenly increases its light output tremendously and then fades away to its former obscurity in a few months or years  • ~like adjective  II. noun  Usage: often capitalized  Etymology: short for Nova Scotia salmon  Date: 1964 cured and smoked salmon; especially salmon that has been cured in a mixture of salt and sugar and smoked at a low temperature