Nebulous comes from the Latin word
nebulosus, meaning "misty," which in turn comes from
nebula, meaning "mist," "fog," or "cloud." In the 18th century, English speakers borrowed
nebula and gave it a somewhat more specific meaning than the Latin version. In English,
nebula refers to a cloud of gas or dust in deep space, or in less technical contexts, simply to a galaxy.
Nebulous itself, when it doesn't have
interstellar
implications, usually means "cloudy" or "foggy" in a figurative sense.
One's memory of a long-past event, for example
, will often be nebulous; a
teenager might give a nebulous recounting of an evening's events upon
coming home; or a politician might make a campaign promise but give only
a nebulous description of how he or she would fulfill it.
No comments:
Post a Comment
The South Central Bulldog reserves the right to reject any comment for any reason, without explanation.