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sublunary

[suhb-loo-ner-ee, suhb-loo-nuh-ree]
See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. situated beneath the moon or between the earth and the moon.
  2. characteristic of or pertaining to the earth; terrestrial.
  3. mundane or worldly: fleeting, sublunary pleasure.
Also sub·lu·nar [suhb-loo-ner] /sʌbˈlu nər/.

Origin of sublunary

1585–95; < Late Latin sublūn(āris) (see sub-, lunar) + -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for sublunar

Historical Examples

  • All the objects of our experience in the sublunar world are not of this kind.

    A History of Mediaeval Jewish Philosophy

    Isaac Husik

  • Hence it is absurd to speak of God as an element of the sublunar world.

  • This is another proof that they are not composed of the same material as sublunar bodies.

  • It is clear from this account that matter and form are the bases of sublunar life and existence.

  • From the Intelligence of the lunar sphere emanated the Active Intellect and the sublunar spheres of the four elements.

British Dictionary definitions for sublunar

sublunary

adjective
  1. situated between the moon and the earth
  2. of or relating to the earth or world

Word Origin

C16: via Late Latin, from Latin sub- + lūna moon
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sublunar

sublunary

adj.

1590s, from Modern Latin sublunaris, from sub- (see sub-) + lunaris (see lunar).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper