Nearby Words
noun, plural -lae 
[-lee, -lahy] , -las.
[-lee, -lahy] , -las. 1.
Astronomy.
a.
Also called diffuse nebula. a cloud of interstellar gas and dust. Compare dark nebula, emission nebula, reflection nebula.
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; < Latin: a mist, vapor, cloud; akin to Greek nephélē cloud, German Nebel fog, haze
1655–65; < Latin: a mist, vapor, cloud; akin to Greek nephélē cloud, German Nebel fog, haze
Related forms
neb·u·lar, adjective
non·neb·u·lar, adjective
pre·neb·u·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To nebulae
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Nebulae
is always a great word to know.
So is gobo. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
nebula
c.1420, nebule "a cloud, mist," from L. nebula "mist," from PIE *nebh- "cloud, vapor, fog, moist, sky" (cf. Skt. nabhas- "vapor, cloud, mists, fog, sky;" Gk. nephele, nephos "cloud;" Ger. nebel "fog;" O.E. nifol "dark;" Welsh niwl "cloud, fog;" Slav. nebo). Re-borrowed from L. 1661 in sense of "cataracts
EXPANDin 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 distinction of gas clouds from distant galaxies was not made until c.1930.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
nebula neb·u·la (něb'yə-lə)
n. pl. neb·u·las or neb·u·lae (-lē')
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.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
| 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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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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American Heritage
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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