moondust

noun

moon·​dust ˈmün-ˌdəst How to pronounce moondust (audio)
: fine dry particles of the moon's soil

Examples of moondust in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Coated in moondust, Gene Cernan waits in the Apollo 17 lunar module in 1972. Discover Magazine, 14 May 2019 European Union: The European Space Agency plans to mine lunar regolith — moondust — for valuable resources like oxygen and water by 2025. Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 20 May 2019 Furthermore, the silver base coat plays on the otherworldly theme, eliciting images of star and moondust. Sara Miranda, Allure, 23 Dec. 2021 Will the study of moondust give us clues to the biochemical origin of life? Dan Q. Posin, Popular Mechanics, 11 Mar. 2021 Perhaps the program’s true legacy is etched not in moondust but in silicon. Stephen Witt, WIRED, 24 June 2019 With almost no fuel to spare, the lander dropped, in slow motion, to kiss the surface upright, and the particles of moondust hung suspended in the sunlight until the gentle lunar gravity pulled them back to rest. Stephen Witt, WIRED, 24 June 2019 More recently, Chen has made thin moondust mirrors that can be reshaped by actuators on the back surface to compensate for temperature changes and for gravity as the mirror moves. Daniel Clery, Science | AAAS, 18 July 2019 The 15-ton lunar module is being swallowed by the thick layer of moondust like a stone dropped in quicksand. Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, 16 July 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'moondust.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of moondust was in 1905

Dictionary Entries Near moondust

Cite this Entry

“Moondust.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/moondust. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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