quasar

/ˈkweɪ.zɑː/

KWEꞮ · zɑː (2 syllables)

English Noun Top 49,608

Definition

An extragalactic object, starlike in appearance, that is among the most luminous and (putatively) the most distant objects in the universe.

Etymology

Blend of quasi- + stellar, from quasi-stellar radio source. Coined by American astrophysicist Hong-Yee Chiu in 1964 in an article in Physics Today. By surface analysis, quasi- + -ar.