nebula

noun

neb·​u·​la ˈne-byə-lə 

plural nebulae ˈne-byə-ˌlē  -ˌlī  also nebulas

1

: any of numerous clouds of gas or dust in interstellar space

2

: galaxy sense 1b

especially : a galaxy other than the Milky Way galaxy

—not used technically

nebular

ˈne-byə-lər 

adjective

Did you know?

Nebula comes to us from Latin, where it means "mist" or "cloud." In its earliest English uses in the 1600s, nebula was chiefly a medical term that could refer either to a cloudy formation in urine or to a cloudy speck or film on the eye that caused vision problems. It was first applied to great interstellar clouds of gas and dust in the early 1700s. The adjective nebulous comes from the same Latin root as nebula, and it is considerably older, being first used as a synonym of cloudy or foggy as early as the 1300s. Like nebula, however, this adjective was not used in an astronomical sense until the mid-1600s.

Examples of nebula in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The events involve looking at various celestial objects that can include stars, planets and nebulas through telescopes and can often include a guest presenter who shares facts about the countless bodies that make up the galaxy. —Perry Vandell, The Arizona Republic, 22 Sep. 2024

This year’s contest featured multiple categories: our sun; our moon; galaxies; auroras; planets, comets and asteroids; people and space; stars and nebulas; and skyscapes. —Samuel Sanders, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2024

The nebula is located 960 light-years away within a larger region of gas and dust called the Perseus molecular cloud. —Katie Hunt, CNN, 31 Aug. 2024

The nebula is about 7,000 light-years away from Earth, and at its center there is a fast-spinning, Earth-size object called a white dwarf — a dense, dead star that has depleted its nuclear fuel. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 13 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, mist, cloud; akin to Old High German nebul fog, Greek nephelē, nephos cloud

First Known Use

1718, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing nebula

• planetary nebula

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Kids Definition

nebula

noun

neb·​u·​la ˈneb-yə-lə 

plural nebulas or nebulae -ˌlē 

-ˌlī

1

: any of many huge clouds of gas or dust in deep space

2

: galaxy sense 2

nebular

-lər 

adjective

Medical Definition

nebula

noun

neb·​u·​la ˈneb-yə-lə 

plural nebulas or nebulae -ˌlē  -ˌlī 

: a slight cloudy opacity of the cornea