| Definition | an extremely powerful nuclear bomb |
| OED requirements | antedating 1953 |
| Earliest cite | Robert A. Heinlein, Gulf |
| Comment | Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from a 1987 reprint of Robert Heinlein's "Starship Troopers"; we would like to check the 1959 first edition. Enoch Forrester submitted a cite from Joe Haldeman's "The Forever War"; Mike Christie verified it in the 1975 first magazine appearance. John Groth submitted a cite from a 2000 reprint of Robert Heinlein's "Gulf" in "Assignment in Eternity". Mike Christie checked the 1949 magazine version and the phrase "nova bomb" is not used there; however Rick Hauptmann verified the cite in the 1953 first book edition. Edward Bornstein submitted a 1975 cite from "Voyage to a Forgotten Sun" by Donald J. Pfeil In addition to any antedatings, we would like cites of any date from other authors. |
| Last modified | 15 July, 2009 |
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| 1975 D.J. Pfeil Voyage to Forgotten Sun 17 | Out of the laboratories of the home world came a bomb capable of exploding a sun! A nova bomb, that could erase every trace of life from a system and leave it completely uninhabitable. |