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nebulae - 3 dictionary results

neb⋅u⋅la

  [neb-yuh-luh]
Use nebulae in a Sentence
–noun, plural -lae  [-lee, -lahy] , -las.
1. Astronomy.
a. Also called diffuse nebula. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Compare dark nebula, emission nebula, reflection nebula.
b. (formerly) any celestial object that appears nebulous, hazy, or fuzzy, and extended in a telescope view.
2. Pathology.
a. a faint opacity in the cornea.
b. cloudiness in the urine.
3. any liquid medication prepared for use as a spray.
Origin:
1655–65; < L: a mist, vapor, cloud; akin to Gk nephélē cloud, G Nebel fog, haze

Related forms:
neb⋅u⋅lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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neb·u·la   (něb'yə-lə)   
n.   pl. neb·u·lae (-lē') or neb·u·las
  1. Astronomy
    1. A diffuse mass of interstellar dust or gas or both, visible as luminous patches or areas of darkness depending on the way the mass absorbs or reflects incident radiation.
    2. See galaxy.
    3. A cloudy spot on the cornea.
    4. Cloudiness in the urine.
  2. Pathology
    1. A cloudy spot on the cornea.
    2. Cloudiness in the urine.
  3. A liquid medication applied by spraying.

[Middle English nebule, cloud, mist, from Latin nebula; see nebh- in Indo-European roots.]
neb'u·lar adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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nebula   (něb'yə-lə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural nebulae (něb'yə-lē') or 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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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