Lunar

Lunar, lū′nar, adj. belonging to the moon: measured by the revolutions of the moon: caused by the moon: like the moon—also Lū′nary.—ns. Lū′nacy, a kind of madness formerly supposed to be affected by the moon: insanity; Lunā′rian, Lū′narist, a student of lunar phenomena; Lū′nary, the moonwort fern.—adjs. Lū′nāte, -d, formed like a half-moon: crescent-shaped; Lū′natic, affected with lunacy.—n. a person so affected: a madman (De lunatico inquirendo, the title of the writ or commission for inquiry into the mental state of an alleged lunatic).—n. Lunā′tion, the time between two revolutions of the moon: a lunar month.—adjs. Lū′niform, moon-shaped; Lū′nisolar, resulting from the united action of the sun and moon: compounded of the revolution of the sun and the moon.—n. Lū′nula, a crescent-like appearance, esp. the whitish area at the base of the nails.—adjs. Lū′nulate, -d (bot.), shaped like a small crescent.—ns. Lū′nule, Lū′nulet, anything in form like a small crescent; Lū′nulite, a small circular fossil coral.—Lunar caustic, fused crystals of nitrate of silver, applied to ulcers, &c.; Lunar cycle=Metonic cycle (q.v.); Lunar month (see Month); Lunar observation, an observation of the moon's distance from a star for the purpose of finding the longitude; Lunar rainbow (see Rainbow, under Rain); Lunar theory, a term employed to denote the a priori deduction of the moon's motions from the principles of gravitation; Lunar year (see Year). [L. lunaris—luna, the moon—lucēre, to shine.]