lunar

adjective

lu·​nar ˈlü-nər How to pronounce lunar (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This type of high-bandwidth communications is expected to become standard for future Artemis missions and will enable lunar landings in high definition. Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 22 June 2026 The Artemis program is targeting the lunar south polar region, which will be tough to deal with thanks to the low angle of the sun. Leonard David, Space.com, 22 June 2026 While orbital deployment remains the long-term goal, nearer-term applications include wireless charging of satellites in orbit or powering lunar bases from orbit or the Moon’s surface. Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 19 June 2026 This change meant Artemis III would no longer land at the lunar south pole. Margaret Landis, The Conversation, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lunar

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of lunar was in the 15th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lunar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunar. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

lunar

adjective
lu·​nar ˈlü-nər How to pronounce lunar (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on lunar

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster