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

Because the moon lacks a magnetic field like Earth's, the barren lunar surface is constantly bombarded by energetic particles from the sun; these particles make up the solar wind. —Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 25 Apr. 2025

Blue Ghost will land on the lunar far side carrying LuSee Night, which will deploy directly from the spacecraft. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2025

Last year, Pakistan sent a satellite to the Moon aboard China’s lunar explorer, alongside payloads from the European Space Agency, France, and Italy, according to Chinese state media. —Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 24 Apr. 2025

As a reusable cislunar transport system, Sunbird can deliver up to 3,300 pounds of supplies to lunar orbit, which would support operations like fuel processing and spacecraft navigation. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, FOXNews.com, 24 Apr. 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