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

The book covers familiar ground, such as the Apollo missions that brought astronauts to the lunar surface. —Joe Spring, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Dec. 2024

The Griffin lander will touch down on Mons Mouton near the western rim of Nobile crater close to the lunar south pole. —Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 8 Dec. 2024

But that flight will feature a lunar lander built by SpaceX, a variant of the company's Starship upper stage. —William Harwood, CBS News, 4 Dec. 2024

The United States has faced increasing competition in its efforts to go to the moon and establish a permanent presence on the lunar surface. —Denise Chow, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024

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

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