nebulous

English

Etymology

From Middle English, from Middle French nebuleus, from Latin nebulōsus (“full of mist, foggy, cloudy”), from nebula (“mist, vapour, cloud”), from Proto-Indo-European *nébʰos (“cloud, vapor, fog, moist, sky”).

cognates

• Ancient Greek νέφος (néphos, “cloud”)
• German Nebel
  • Old High German nebul (“cloud, fog”)
• Old English nifol, neowol (“dark, gloomy, obscure, precipitous, prone”)

by surface analysis, nebula +‎ -ous. More at neveling, nuel.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, US) IPA^(key): /ˈnɛbjʊləs/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Adjective

nebulous (comparative more nebulous, superlative most nebulous)

1. In the form of a cloud or haze; hazy.
2. Vague or ill-defined.
   • 1915, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Valley of Fear:

     The magistrate could not possibly, on the evidence, have held them for a higher court. On the one hand the compositors and pressmen were forced to admit that the light was uncertain, that they were themselves much perturbed, and that it was difficult for them to swear to the identity of the assailants; although they believed that the accused were among them. Cross examined by the clever attorney who had been engaged by McGinty, they were even more nebulous in their evidence.

   • 2018 January 2, Samantha D. Gottlieb, “8. Mothers and Gardasil”, in Not Quite a Cancer Vaccine. Selling HPV and Cervical Cancer, New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, page 127:

     The mothers in NaturalMoms discussed nebulous fears about potential harms from vaccines and their distrust of the medical professionals who promoted a universal immunization schedule.

3. Relating to a nebula or nebulae.

Related terms

• nebula
• nebular
• nebulosity

Translations

in the form of a cloud

• Bulgarian: мъглив (bg) (mǎgliv), облачен (bg) (oblačen)
• Catalan: nebulós
• Estonian: udune, hägune
• Finnish: sumumainen (fi)
• German: neblig (de), nebelig (de)
• Italian: nebuloso (it)
• Portuguese: nebuloso (pt) m
• Romanian: nebulos (ro)
• Russian: о́блачный (ru) (óblačnyj), тума́нный (ru) (tumánnyj)
• Spanish: nebuloso (es)

ill-defined

• Bulgarian: неясен (bg) (nejasen), смътен (bg) (smǎten)
• Catalan: nebulós
• Estonian: udune
• Finnish: epämääräinen (fi)
• French: nébuleux (fr)
• German: nebulös (de), unklar (de), verworren (de), nebelhaft (de)
• Italian: vago (it)
• Romanian: nebulos (ro)
• Russian: неопределённый (ru) (neopredeljónnyj), неотчётливый (neotčótlivyj), нея́сный (ru) (nejásnyj), сму́тный (ru) (smútnyj), расплы́вчатый (ru) (rasplývčatyj), тума́нный (ru) (tumánnyj)
• Spanish: nebuloso (es)

relating to nebulae

• Polish: mgławicowy m

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Czech: mlhavý (1,2), mlhovinný (3)

Anagrams

• unblouse