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

Here again, binoculars will prove most beneficial in helping to find not only Pollux and Castor, but this exceedingly slender lunar sliver. —Joe Rao, Space.com, 24 June 2025

In this new lunar cycle, the sun and the moon meet in the sensitive water sign of Cancer to open up a phase of deep emotional connection. —Danijela Pilic, Glamour, 24 June 2025

On Wednesday, Firefly Aerospace announced plans to launch a new lunar imaging service called Ocula using its Elytra spacecraft, ostensibly to help commercial companies identify mineral deposits on the moon’s surface and map future landing sites. —Jamie Carter, Forbes.com, 24 June 2025

Based on these astronauts’ symptoms, and based on later research on lunar dust simulants, it was thought that the substance was extremely harmful to humans. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 20 June 2025

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