Meanings
plural gravastars
- astronomyA proposed alternative to black holes that is more consistent with quantum mechanics.
1 more example
These dark objects do not have an event horizon, and there is no singularity at their center, as is the case with classical black hole solutions in general relativity. In the gravastar, the quantum physics of the baryonic matter at the shell or crust surrounding the interior vacuum prevents the formation of a general relativity event horizon.
2020, John W. Moffat, The Shadow of the Black Hole, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 35
Origin
Blend of gravitational + vacuum + star, first hypothesized in 2001.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish grawastar
- grawastarobject hypothesized as an alternative to the black hole theory
Cite this entry
gravastar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravastar
“gravastar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravastar. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gravastar,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gravastar.
Source: gravastar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.