lunar

adjective

lu·​nar ˈlü-nər How to pronounce lunar (audio)
 also  -ˌnär
1
: crescent, lunate
who grasps the struggling heifer's lunar horns Alexander Pope
2
a
: of, relating to, or resembling the moon
lunar craters
a lunar landscape
b
: designed for use on the moon
lunar vehicles
3
: measured by the moon's revolution
lunar month

Examples of lunar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander is now headed for the moon after firing its engines to send it out of Earth orbit. Andrew Jones, Space.com, 10 Feb. 2025 What Are the Different Full Moons Called? Not every February has a full moon, as a result of February being the only month in the calendar that is shorter than a lunar moon. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 The analysis of this region paves the way for astronauts to take a closer look when the Artemis mission will send astronauts close to the lunar south pole. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 Feb. 2025 Blue Ghost will land on the lunar far side carrying LuSee Night, which will deploy directly from the spacecraft. Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2025 See all Example Sentences for lunar 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English lunare, borrowed from Latin lūnāris "of the moon, crescent-shaped," from lūna "moon" + -āris -ar; lūna going back to Indo-European *lou̯k-s-neh2, derivative of the verb stem *leu̯k- "become bright," whence also Old Church Slavic luna "moon," Russian luná, Old Prussian lauxnos "stars," Armenian lusin "moon"; from a stem *lou̯k-s-no- Old Irish lúan in día lúain "Monday," Avestan raoxšna- "light," (with presumed zero-grade) Greek lýkhnos "lamp" — more at light entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lunar was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near lunar

Cite this Entry

“Lunar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunar. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

1
: of, relating to, or resembling the moon
lunar craters
a lunar landscape
2
: measured by the moon's revolution
lunar month

Medical Definition

lunar

adjective
lu·​nar
ˈlü-nər also -ˌnär
: lunate

More from Merriam-Webster on lunar

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