lunar

adjective

lu·​nar ˈlü-nər 

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

Floating above what is usually an information desk for museumgoers, the installation is a balloon with the lunar image projected from the balcony level. —Anna Grace Lee, Vogue, 4 May 2026

Next, the science team members have to orient themselves in each image’s view of the moon and the lunar features on display. —Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 4 May 2026

Falcon 9 launched lunar lander in 2025 The Falcon 9 upper stage on a path to crash into the moon is believed to be part of the same rocket that in January 2025 launched from Florida carrying an uncrewed lunar lander. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 4 May 2026

On the bright side, the Eta Aquarid's are known to produce the occasional fireball, which could easily pierce the veil of moonlight cast by the lunar disk. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 2 May 2026

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

Phrases Containing lunar

• lunar caustic
• lunar eclipse
• lunar module
• lunar month

Rhymes for lunar

• schooner
• sooner
• spooner
• tuner
• lacunar
• semilunar

Kids Definition

lunar

adjective

lu·​nar ˈlü-nər 

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