nebula

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noun neb·u·la \ ˈne-byə-lə \

Definition of nebula

plural nebulae play \ˈne-byə-ˌlē, -ˌlī\ also nebulas

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

2 :galaxy 1b; especially :a galaxy other than the Milky Way galaxy —not used technically

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nebular

play \ˈne-byə-lər\ adjective

See nebula defined for English-language learners

See nebula defined for kids

nebula was our Word of the Day on 11/22/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of nebula from the Web

This is terrible since the light from the full moon wipes out deep sky objects like the Orion nebula.

— janet eastman, OregonLive.com, "Front seat to the universe: 15 fast questions for the owners of an eclipse-ready home observatory," 15 Aug. 2017
This suggested to Dr Adibekyan that something about a star, or about the circumstances of its formation, affects the types of planet that condense from the nebula surrounding it.

— The Economist, "PlanetologyMore ways to classify planets," 13 July 2017
But the author's reading renders the tale amorphous, beating it into a blurry nebula with every syllable uttered in his sorry state.

— jenni laidman, chicagotribune.com, "Audiobook roundup: Shelley Atkinson sparkles with 'The Blood Miracles'," 12 June 2017
Galaxies contain untold tons of gas and dust that are floating around, doing no harm, living uneventfully as nebulas.

— paul sutter astrophysicist, Fox News, "What happens when galaxies collide?," 1 June 2017
Galaxies contain untold tons of gas and dust that are floating around, doing no harm, living uneventfully as nebulas.

— paul sutter astrophysicist, Fox News, "What happens when galaxies collide?," 1 June 2017
Galaxies contain untold tons of gas and dust that are floating around, doing no harm, living uneventfully as nebulas.

— paul sutter astrophysicist, Fox News, "What happens when galaxies collide?," 1 June 2017
Galaxies contain untold tons of gas and dust that are floating around, doing no harm, living uneventfully as nebulas.

— paul sutter astrophysicist, Fox News, "What happens when galaxies collide?," 1 June 2017
Galaxies contain untold tons of gas and dust that are floating around, doing no harm, living uneventfully as nebulas.

— paul sutter astrophysicist, Fox News, "What happens when galaxies collide?," 1 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nebula.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

Nebula comes to us from Latin, where it meant "mist" or "cloud." In its earliest English uses in the 1600s, nebula referred 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, but the first uses of nebulous don't appear in English until the late 1700s, well after the discovery of interstellar nebulae.

Origin and Etymology of nebula

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1718

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NEBULA Defined for English Language Learners

nebula

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noun

Definition of nebula for English Language Learners

: a cloud of gas or dust in space that can sometimes be seen at night
: a group of stars that are very far away and look like a bright cloud at night

NEBULA Defined for Kids

nebula

play

noun neb·u·la \ ˈne-byə-lə \

Definition of nebula for Students

plural nebulae \-ˌlē\ or nebulas

1 :any of many clouds of gas or dust seen in the sky among the stars

2 :galaxy 2

Medical Dictionary

nebula

play

noun neb·u·la \ ˈneb-yə-lə \

medical Definition of nebula

plural nebulas or nebulae play \-ˌlē, -ˌlī\

:a slight cloudy opacity of the cornea

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Spanish Central: Translation of nebula Nglish: Translation of nebula for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nebula

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nebula was our Word of the Day on 11/22/2015. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of nebula from the Web

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Origin and Etymology of nebula

NEBULA Defined for English Language Learners

nebula

Definition of nebula for English Language Learners

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nebula

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nebula

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