nebula

neb·u·la
N1E1B3U1L1A1
Canada, US, UK, Scotland/ˈnɛb.jə.lə/Canada, US, UK, Scotland, also/ˈnɛb.jʌ.lʌ/Australia, New Zealand, UK/ˈneb.jə.lə/India/ˈnɛ(ː)b.ju.la/

noun

A cloud in outer space consisting of gas or dust (e.g. a cloud formed after a star explodes).

OriginLatin nebula ← Proto-Italic *neβelā ← Proto-Indo-European *nébʰos →
Less commonScrabble 8
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Meanings

nounnebula (plural nebulae or nebulas or (archaic) nebulæ)

plural nebulae · plural nebulas · archaic plural nebulæ

  1. astronomyA cloud in outer space consisting of gas or dust (e.g. a cloud formed after a star explodes).

    Approximately 5 billion years ago, our solar nebula was formed as gravitational forces pulled interstellar gas and dust into a swirling mass around out newly formed sun.

    2012, Chinle Miller, In Mesozoic Lands: The Mesozoic Geology of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Kindle edition
  2. archaicmedicineA white spot or slight opacity of the cornea.
  3. obsoletemedicineA cloudy appearance in the urine.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*nebʰ-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*nébʰos
  3. Proto-Italic*neβelā
  4. Latinnebula
  5. Englishnebula

Learned borrowing from Latin nebula (“little cloud, mist”). First attested in 1655. Akin to Ancient Greek νεφέλη (nephélē, “cloud”), German Nebel (“mist, nebula”), Old Norse nifl, Polish niebo (“sky, heaven”), Russian не́бо (nébo, “sky”).

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek νεφέλιον
  • νεφέλιον (nephélion)a space cloud
Arabic سَدِيم
  • سَدِيم (sadīm)a space cloud
Basque nebulosa
  • nebulosaa space cloud
Bengali নীহারিকা
  • নীহারিকা (niharika)a space cloud
Bulgarian мъглявина́
  • мъглявина́ (măgljaviná)a space cloud
Catalan nebulosa
  • nebulosaa space cloud
Chinese Cantonese 星雲 /星云
  • 星雲 /星云a space cloud
Chinese Mandarin 星雲 /星云
  • 星雲 /星云 (xīngyún)a space cloud
Czech mlhovina
  • mlhovinaa space cloud
Danish stjernetåge
  • stjernetågea space cloud
Dutch nevelvlek, nevel
  • nevelvleka space cloud
  • nevela space cloud
Esperanto nebulozo
  • nebulozoa space cloud
Estonian udukogu, udu
  • udukogua space cloud
  • udua space cloud
Finnish kaasusumu, tähtisumu
  • kaasusumua space cloud
  • tähtisumua space cloud
  • nebulaa space cloud
French nébuleuse
  • nébuleusea space cloud
German Nebel, Wolke
  • Nebela space cloud
  • Wolkea space cloud
Greek νεφέλωμα
  • νεφέλωμα (neféloma)a space cloud
Hebrew עַרְפִלִּית, ערפילית
  • עַרְפִלִּיתa space cloud
  • ערפילית (arpilit)a space cloud
Hindi निहारिका, नीहारिका
  • निहारिका (nihārikā)a space cloud
  • नीहारिका (nīhārikā)a space cloud
Hungarian csillagköd, nebula
  • csillagköda space cloud
  • nebulaa space cloud
Icelandic stjörnuþoka
  • stjörnuþokaa space cloud
Indonesian nebula
  • nebulaa space cloud
Irish réaltnéal
  • réaltnéala space cloud
Italian nebulosa
  • nebulosaa space cloud
Japanese 星雲
  • 星雲 (seiun)a space cloud
Korean 성운
  • 성운 (seong'un)a space cloud
Latin nebula
  • nebulaa space cloud
Latvian miglājs
  • miglājsa space cloud
Lithuanian ū̃kas
  • ū̃kasa space cloud
Malay nebula
  • nebulaa space cloud
Māori puehu tuarangi
  • puehu tuarangia space cloud
Norwegian Bokmål stjernetåke
  • stjernetåkea space cloud
Persian سحابی, میغواره
  • سحابی (sahâbi)a space cloud
  • میغواره (miġ-vâre)a space cloud
Polish mgławica
  • mgławicaa space cloud
Portuguese nebulosa, nébula
  • nebulosaa space cloud
  • nébulaa space cloud
Romanian nebuloasă
  • nebuloasăa space cloud
Russian тума́нность
  • тума́нность (tumánnostʹ)a space cloud
Slovak hmlovina
  • hmlovinaa space cloud
Spanish nebulosa, nébula
  • nebulosaa space cloud
  • nébulaa space cloud
Swedish nebulosa
  • nebulosaa space cloud
Tagalog bigha, ulanag
  • bighaa space cloud
  • ulanaga space cloud
  • nebulaa space cloud
Tamil நெபுலா
  • நெபுலா (nepulā)a space cloud
Thai เนบิวลา
  • เนบิวลา (nee-biu-lâa)a space cloud
Turkish nebula
  • nebulaa space cloud
Ukrainian тума́нність
  • тума́нність (tumánnistʹ)a space cloud
Urdu صَحابِیَہ, سَدِیم
  • صَحابِیَہ (sahābiya)a space cloud
  • سَدِیم (sadīm)a space cloud
Vietnamese tinh vân
  • tinh vâna space cloud
Welsh nifiwl
  • nifiwla space cloud

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

unableNabeulunbaleBuelna
Cite this entry
APA

nebula. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nebula

MLA

“nebula.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nebula. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “nebula,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/nebula.

Source: nebula on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.