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white dwarf
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n.
The collapsed remnant core of a low-mass star that has ejected its outer layers and can no longer sustain nuclear fusion. White dwarf stars are extremely dense, having no empty space between atoms, but lack the mass to reach the even more extremely dense states of a neutron star or black hole.
(click for a larger image)
white dwarf
white dwarf (spot in center) enveloped by planetary nebula NGC 2440

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.