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nebulae

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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.
Cite This Source Link To nebulae
New Exoplanets Discovered
Hunt for Other Worlds Accelerates. Exoplanet Count at 416 and Rising.
www.stanstake.com
Buy NASA Nebula Photos
Hubble, Chandra, Spitzer Archives Printed, Framed. Free Shipping.
www.SkyImageLab.com
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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Cultural Dictionary

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. (See photo, next page.)

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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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 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 distinction of gas clouds from distant galaxies was not made until c.1930.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: neb·u·la
Pronunciation: 'neb-y&-l&
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural neb·u·las or neb·u·lae /-"lE, -"lI/
: a slight cloudy opacity of the cornea
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

nebula neb·u·la (něb'yə-lə)
n. pl. neb·u·las or neb·u·lae (-lē')

  1. A faint, foglike opacity of the cornea.

  2. 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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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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