Wolf-Rayet star

[ woolf-rahy-ey; French vawlf-ra-ye ]

noun
  1. a very hot (35,000–100,000 K) and luminous star in the early stages of evolution, with broad emission lines in its spectrum.

Origin of Wolf-Rayet star

1
1885–90; after French astronomers Charles J. E. Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906)
  • Also called W-R star.

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British Dictionary definitions for Wolf-Rayet star

Wolf-Rayet star

/ (ˈwʊlfˈreɪət) /


noun
  1. any of a small class of very hot intensely luminous stars surrounded by a rapidly expanding envelope of gas

Origin of Wolf-Rayet star

1
C19: named after Charles Wolf (1827–1918) and Georges Rayet (1839–1906), French astronomers

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