Etymology

blazar

B3L1A1Z10A1R1

Today it means: A very compact quasar, associated with a supermassive black hole at the center of an active galaxy. Full definition →

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The story

Blend of B + L + Lac + quasar. Coined by astronomer Edward Spiegel in 1978 from BL Lac object and quasar, punning blazing from its optical presentation compared to usual quasars. By surface analysis, blaze + -ar.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.