nebula

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: neb=u=la

CIDE DICTIONARY

nebula, n. [L., mist, cloud; akin to Gr. nefe`lh, ne`fos, cloud, mist, G. nebel mist, OHG. nebul, D. nevel, Skr. nabhas cloud, mist. Cf. Nebule.].

•  A faint, cloudlike, self-luminous mass of matter situated beyond the solar system among the stars. The term was originally applied to any diffuse luminous region. Now, technically, it is applied to interstellar clouds of dust and gases (diffuse nebula). However distant galaxies and very distant star clusters often appear like them in the telescope, such as the spiral nebula in Andromeda, known now to be a distant galaxy.  [1913 Webster]
•  A white spot or a slight opacity of the cornea.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

nebula, n. (pl. nebulae or nebulas)
1 Astron. a a cloud of gas and dust, sometimes glowing and sometimes appearing as a dark silhouette against other glowing matter. b a bright area caused by a galaxy, or a large cloud of distant stars.
2 Med. a clouded spot on the cornea causing defective vision.

Etymology

L, = mist

THESAURUS

nebula

Black Magellanic Cloud, Crab Nebula, Gegenschein, bright diffuse nebula, coalsack, counterglow, dark cloud, dark nebula, diffuse nebula, dust cloud, gaseous nebula, nebula of Lyra, nebular hypothesis, nebulosity, nebulous stars, planetary nebula, ring nebula, the Coalsack, zodiacal light

ROGET THESAURUS

nebula

Bubble

N bubble; cloud, bubble, foam, froth, head, spume, lather, suds, spray, surf, yeast, barm, spindrift, cloud, vapor, fog, mist, haze, steam, geyser, scud, messenger, rack, nimbus, cumulus, woolpack, cirrus, stratus, cirrostratus, cumulostratus, cirrocumulus, mackerel sky, mare's tale, dirty sky, curl cloud, frost smoke, thunderhead, nephelognosy, nephograph, nephology, effervescence, fermentation, bubbling, nebula, cloudliness, nebulosity, bubbling, frothy, nappy, effervescent, sparkling, mousseux, frothy, up, cloudy, thunderheaded, vaporous, nebulous, overcast, the lowring element scowls o'er the darkened lands.