lunar

adjective lu·nar \ ˈlü-nər also -ˌnär \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of lunar

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

See lunar defined for English-language learners

See lunar defined for kids

Recent Examples of lunar from the Web

The Trump administration recently directed NASA to send humans to the lunar surface again.

— loren grush, The Verge, "No one won the Google Lunar X Prize, but these competitors are still shooting for the Moon," 31 Mar. 2018
Many visit between December and February, to see what awaits them in the new solar and lunar years.

— The Economist, "Prophets and profitsIn South Korea fortune-telling will soon be a $3.7bn business," 24 Feb. 2018
Rather there are incremental steps that, if followed over the next decade, may allow astronauts to eventually set foot on the lunar surface again.

— eric berger, Ars Technica, "Proposed NASA budget takes one small step toward the Moon," 12 Feb. 2018
However, 2018 is a unique year, and the solar and lunar calendars align so there will be another blue moon on March 31.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "The Most Spectacular Eclipse of 2018 Is Tomorrow," 30 Jan. 2018
The first manmade contact with the moon was made as radar signals transmitted by the U.S. Army Signal Corps were bounced off the lunar surface.

— staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018," 10 Jan. 2018
But tourism and gaming officials attributed much of the decline to factors beyond the mass shooting, including the month having one less weekend compared to January 2017 and the shift of the lunar new year to February.

— david montero, latimes.com, "Tourism slump continues in Las Vegas months after mass shooting," 1 Mar. 2018
Two cameras will work together to provide 3D images of the lunar surface and the third will be available for scientific work.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "4G Coverage Bound for the Moon in 2019," 1 Mar. 2018
The last time these three lunar events happened at the same time was in 1982.

— mahita gajanan, Time, "Watch Live as a Rare ‘Super Blue Blood Moon’ Eclipse Crosses the Sky," 31 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lunar.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of lunar

Middle English, from Latin lunaris, from luna moon; akin to Latin lucēre to shine — more at light

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

LUNAR Defined for English Language Learners

lunar

adjective

Definition of lunar for English Language Learners

: of or relating to the moon

LUNAR Defined for Kids

lunar

adjective lu·nar \ ˈlü-nər \

Definition of lunar for Students

1 : of or relating to the moon

lunar rock

2 : measured by the revolutions of the moon

a lunar month

Medical Dictionary

lunar

adjective lu·nar \ ˈlü-nər also -ˌnär \

medical Definition of lunar

: lunate

Learn More about lunar

See words that rhyme with lunar Spanish Central: Translation of lunar Nglish: Translation of lunar for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of lunar for Arabic speakers

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lunar

Definition of lunar

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Origin and Etymology of lunar

LUNAR Defined for English Language Learners

lunar

Definition of lunar for English Language Learners

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lunar

Definition of lunar for Students

Medical Dictionary

lunar

medical Definition of lunar

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lunar

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