black dwarf

noun

plural black dwarfs
: a very small cooled remnant of white dwarf that emits no detectable light

Examples of black dwarf in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
For low- to medium-mass stars like the sun, that’s pretty much it; over the eons, a solitary white dwarf will gradually cool down, slowly fading to become a so-far-theoretical inert lump called a black dwarf. Phil Plait, Scientific American, 2 Aug. 2024 Eventually, though, even that white dwarf will dim, becoming a black dwarf at its uttermost end. Stephen C. George, Discover Magazine, 18 Apr. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1925, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of black dwarf was in 1925

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Cite this Entry

“Black dwarf.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black%20dwarf. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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