Neb

neb, n. The nose; snout; mouth; the beak of a bird; the bill; nib (of a pen). J AS. nebb, the face, D. neb, G. schnabel, beak, nib, mouth, MHG. snaben, to snap; nib, nipple, snap, snipe.] Nebula, neb'u-la, pi. -l.e, (Astron.) A misty or cloud-like object in the distant heavens, often resolvable by the telescope into distinct stars. [L., a mist: L. nimbus, nubes, Gr. nephele, a cloud, nephos, G. mist, Skr. nabhas, sky, atmosphere, nabh, to burst.] — Neb'ular, a. Pert, to nebulae. — Nebular hypothesis. The theory of Laplace that the solar system orig. consisted of a revolving nebula which, cooling and contracting, threw off rings of matter which ultimately became the planets, satellites, etc., of the system. — Neb'ulous, -u-lus, a. Cloudy; hazy. (Astron.) Pert, to, or like, a nebula; nebular. — Nebulosity, -los'T-H, n. State of being nebulous. (Astron.) The faint, misty appearance surrounding certain stars.