region of Africa bordering the Red Sea south of Egypt, ultimately from a local word, said to be related to Coptic noubti "to weave," or from Nubian nub "gold." In the fashion sense "woman's light scarf" it is from French, from Latin nubes "cloud" (see nuance).
also sky-scraper, "very tall urban building," 1888, in a Chicago context, from sky (n.) + agent noun of scrape (v.). Used earlier for any thing which reaches or extends far up, such as "ornament atop a building" (1883), "very tall man" (1857), "high-flying bird" (1840), "light sail at the top of a mast" (1794), and the name of a racehorse (1789). Compare cognate French gratte-ciel, from gratter "to scrape" + ciel "sky;" German Wolkenkratzer, from Wolke "cloud" + Kratzer "scraper."
cloud-cleaver, an imaginary sail jokingly assumed to be carried by Yankee ships. [W. Clark Russell, "Sailors' Word Book," 1883]
early 13c., "celestial crown worn by martyrs, virgins, etc., as victors over the flesh," from Latin aureola (corona), fem. diminutive of aureus "golden" (see aureate). In religious art aureola (1848) is the luminous cloud or aura surrounding holy figures.
c. 1300, "without knowledge, ignorant," from un- (1) "not" + present participle of know (v.). Noun meaning "ignorance" is mid-14c., especially in phrase cloud of unknowing, title of a medieval book of Christian mysticism. Related: Unknowingly. A verb unknow "fail to recognize" is attested from late 14c.
early 15c., obscuren, "to cover (something), cloud over," from obscure (adj.) or else from Old French obscurer, from Latin obscurare "to make dark, darken, obscure," from obscurus. Meaning "to conceal from knowledge or observation, disguise" is from 1520s; that of "to overshadow or outshine" is from 1540s. Related: Obscured; obscuring.
Old English cludig "rocky, hilly, full of cliffs;" see cloud (n.). Meaning "of the nature of atmospheric clouds" is recorded from c. 1300; meaning "full of clouds, overcast" is late 14c.; of liquids, etc., "not transparent, not clear," from 1580s. Figurative sense of "gloomy" is late 14c. Related: Cloudiness; cloudily.
"opaqueness of the atmosphere," 1706, probably a back-formation of hazy (q.v.). Sense of "confusion, vagueness" is 1797. The differentiation of haze, mist, fog (and other dialectal words) is unmatched in other tongues, where the same word generally covers all three and often "cloud" as well; this may be an effect of the English climate on the English language.
also skew-bald, 1650s, "having white and brown (or some other color) patches, spotted in an irregular manner" (used especially of horses), from skued, skeued "skewbald, of mixed colors" (early 15c.) + bald "having white patches" (see bald).
The first element is said to be unconnected with skew (v.), but Klein's sources say it is and Middle English Compendium offers that as a possibility; OED suggests it is perhaps from Old French escu "shield," but also notes a close resemblance in form and sense with Icelandic skjottr, "the history of which is equally obscure." Watkins says it is Scandinavian and akin to Old Norse sky "cloud" on the resemblance of the markings to cloud cover.
When the white is mixed with black it is called 'pie-bald,' with bay the name of 'skew-bald' is given to it. ["Youatt's 'The Horse,' " 1866]
As a noun meaning "skewbald horse" or other animal from 1863.
late 14c., "cloudy, misty, hazy" (of the eye, fire-smoke, etc.), from Latin nebulosus "cloudy, misty, foggy, full of vapor," from nebula "mist, vapor" (from PIE root *nebh- "cloud"). The figurative sense of "hazy, vague, formless" is attested by 1831. Astronomical sense, in reference to stars or star clusters surrounded by luminous haze, is from 1670s. Related: Nebulously; nebulousness.
