nebula
[ neb-yuh-luh ]
/ ˈnɛb yə lə /
Save This Word!
noun, plural neb·u·lae [neb-yuh-lee, -lahy], /ˈnɛb yəˌli, -ˌlaɪ/, neb·u·las.
Astronomy.
- Also called diffuse nebula. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust.Compare dark nebula, emission nebula, reflection nebula.
- (formerly) any celestial object that appears nebulous, hazy, or fuzzy, and extended in a telescope view.
Pathology.
- a faint opacity in the cornea.
- cloudiness in the urine.
any liquid medication prepared for use as a spray.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of nebula
1655–65; <Latin: a mist, vapor, cloud; akin to Greek nephélē cloud, German Nebel fog, haze
OTHER WORDS FROM nebula
neb·u·lar, adjectivenon·neb·u·lar, adjectivepre·neb·u·lar, adjectiveWords nearby nebula
Nebr., Nebraska, Nebraskan, nebris, Nebuchadnezzar, nebula, nebular hypothesis, nebulated, nebulium, nebulize, nebulizer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for nebula
British Dictionary definitions for nebula
nebula
/ (ˈnɛbjʊlə) /
noun plural -lae (-ˌliː) or -las
astronomy a diffuse cloud of particles and gases (mainly hydrogen) that is visible either as a hazy patch of light (either an emission or a reflection nebula) or an irregular dark region against a brighter background (dark nebula)Compare planetary nebula
pathol
- opacity of the cornea
- cloudiness of the urine
any substance for use in an atomizer spray
Derived forms of nebula
nebular, adjectiveWord Origin for nebula
C17: from Latin: mist, cloud; related to Greek nephétē cloud, Old High German nebul cloud, Old Norse njól night
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for nebula
nebula
[ nĕb′yə-lə ]
n. pl. neb•u•las
A faint, foglike opacity of the cornea.
A class of oily preparations for use in a nebulizer.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for nebula
nebula
[ nĕb′yə-lə ]
Plural nebulae (nĕb′yə-lē′) nebulas
A visible, thinly spread cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Some nebulae are the remnants of a supernova explosion, others are gravity-induced condensations of the gases in the interstellar medium which in certain cases may become a site for the formation of new stars. The term was formerly used of any hazy, seemingly cloudlike object, including what are now recognized as other galaxies beyond the Milky Way; it is restricted now to actual clouds of gas and dust within our own galaxy.♦ Nebulae are generally classified as bright or dark. Among the bright nebulae are cold clouds that reflect light from nearby stars (reflection nebulae) and hot, ionized clouds that glow with their own light (emission nebulae). Dark nebulae-cold clouds that absorb the passing light from background stars-are called absorption nebulae. See more at star.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for nebula
nebula
[ (neb-yuh-luh) ]
plur. nebulae
In astronomy, a hazy patch of light visible in the sky. Some nebulae are clouds of gas within the Milky Way; others are distant galaxies.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.