nebula

[ neb-yuh-luh ]
See synonyms for nebula on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural neb·u·lae [neb-yuh-lee, -lahy], /ˈnɛb yəˌli, -ˌlaɪ/, neb·u·las.
  1. Astronomy.

  2. Pathology.

    • a faint opacity in the cornea.

    • cloudiness in the urine.

  1. any liquid medication prepared for use as a spray.

Origin of nebula

1
First recorded in 1655–65; from Latin: “cloud, mist, vapor”; akin to German Nebel “fog, haze,” Greek nephélē “cloud,” Sanskrit nábha- “cloud, vapor”

Other words from nebula

  • neb·u·lar, adjective
  • non·neb·u·lar, adjective
  • pre·neb·u·lar, adjective

Words Nearby nebula

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use nebula in a sentence

  • Following Anna Deavere Smith is like following a swiftly moving nebula.

    20 Views of Life and Death | Ezrha Jean Black | July 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • And yet there are millions of stars whose distances are even greater than the distance of the Great nebula in Orion.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford
  • The fainter parts of the nebula would be shown more satisfactorily by a longer exposure.

    Photographs of Nebul and Clusters | James Edward Keeler
  • Then his vision cleared and he knew where he was—in the surgery room of the nebula.

    Hunters Out of Space | Joseph Everidge Kelleam
  • And, if we don't get too bored, we might run over to the giant model nebula in Andromeda, or one of the others.

    Islands of Space | John W Campbell
  • One of the most exquisite of these modern photographs is that of the Trifid nebula in Sagittarius (Fig. 142).

    A Text-Book of Astronomy | George C. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for nebula

nebula

/ (ˈnɛbjʊlə) /


nounplural -lae (-ˌliː) or -las
  1. 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

  2. pathol

    • opacity of the cornea

    • cloudiness of the urine

  1. any substance for use in an atomizer spray

Origin of nebula

1
C17: from Latin: mist, cloud; related to Greek nephétē cloud, Old High German nebul cloud, Old Norse njól night

Derived forms of nebula

  • nebular, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for nebula

nebula

[ nĕbyə-lə ]


Plural nebulae (nĕbyə-lē′) nebulas
  1. 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.