lunate

[loo-neyt]

adjective

Also lu·nat·ed. being in the shape of a crescent; crescent-shaped.

noun

Anatomy. the second bone from the thumb side of the proximal row of bones of the carpus.
a crescent-shaped, microlithic artifact mounted in a haft to form a composite tool, mostly Mesolithic in origin.

Origin of lunate

First recorded in 1770–80, lunate is from the Latin word lūnātus crescent-shaped. See Luna, -ate¹

Related formslu·nate·ly, adverbsem·i·lu·nate, adjectivesem·i·lu·nat·ed, adjectivesub·lu·nate, adjectivesub·lu·nat·ed, adjectiveun·lu·nate, adjectiveun·lu·nat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lunate

Historical Examples of lunate

A yellow scolloped margin runs round their external edges, verged with black; above which are some lunate spots of a sky blue.
Illustrations of Exotic Entomology, Volume 1
Dru Drury
Cl., to which as a variety Cleve unites Lewis' form, appears to resemble it only in the lunate marks.
The Diatomaceae of Philadelphia and Vicinity
Charles Sumner Boyer
The chief distinction lies in the lunate tail, which has a keel on either side at base, as in the mackerels.
A Guide to the Study of Fishes, Volume 1 (of 2)
David Starr Jordan

British Dictionary definitions for lunate

lunate

adjective Also: lunated

anatomy botany shaped like a crescent

noun

a crescent-shaped bone forming part of the wrist

Word Origin for lunate

C18: from Latin lūnātus crescent-shaped, from lūnāre, from 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 lunate

adj.

"crescent-shaped," 1777, from Latin lunatus, from luna (see Luna).

lunate in Medicine

lunate

[lōō′nāt′]

adj.

Shaped like a crescent.