nebula

[ neb-yuh-luh ]

/ ˈnɛb yə lə /

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.

RELATED WORDS

nimbus, vapor, galaxy

Nearby words

nebr., nebraska, nebraskan, nebris, nebuchadnezzar, nebula, nebular, nebular hypothesis, nebulated, nebulium, nebulize

Origin of nebula

1655–65; < Latin: a mist, vapor, cloud; akin to Greek nephélē cloud, German Nebel fog, haze

Related formsneb·u·lar, adjectivenon·neb·u·lar, adjectivepre·neb·u·lar, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for nebulae

The reminiscences of party wrangling and political strife seem to me like nebulae of the past, without form and almost void.
Presentation Pieces in the Museum of History and Technology|Margaret Brown Klapthor
What meant his child's close words touching his dim thoughts floating like nebulae in his mind?
Dawn|Mrs. Harriet A. Adams
And we can head for one of the nebulae in that general area.
Islands of Space|John W Campbell
About a hundred of these nebulae were known when Herschel began his studies.
A History of Science, Volume 3(of 5)|Henry Smith Williams

Sir Wm. Herschel did more towards the discovery of nebulae than perhaps any other astronomer, either before his time or since.
Aether and Gravitation|William George Hooper

British Dictionary definitions for nebulae

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 Formsnebular, adjective

Word 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

Word Origin and History for nebulae

nebula

early 15c., nebule "a cloud, mist," from Latin nebula "mist, vapor, fog, smoke, exhalation," figuratively "darkness, obscurity," from PIE *nebh- "cloud" (cf. Sanskrit nabhas- "vapor, cloud, mists, fog, sky;" Greek nephele, nephos "cloud;" German nebel "fog;" Old English nifol "dark, gloomy;" Welsh niwl "cloud, fog;" Slavic nebo).

Re-borrowed from Latin 1660s in sense of "cataracts in the eye;" astronomical meaning "cloud-like patch in the night sky" first recorded c.1730. As early as Hershel (1802) astronomers realized that some nebulae were star clusters, but certain distinction of relatively nearby cosmic gas clouds from distant galaxies was not made until 1920s, using the new 100-inch Mt. Wilson telescope.

Medicine definitions for nebulae

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.

Science definitions for nebulae

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.

Culture definitions for nebulae

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.