lunula

Also lu·nule

[loo-nyuh-luh]

noun

plural

lunulae 

1. something shaped like a narrow crescent, as the small, pale area at the base of the fingernail.

lunula

/ ˈluːnjuːl, ˈluːnjʊlə /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: half-moon. the white crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail

Other Word Forms

• pseudolunula noun
• pseudolunule noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunula¹

First recorded in 1565–75; from Latin lūnula “crescent-shaped ornament,” literally “little moon,” equivalent to lūn(a) “moon” + -ula, feminine diminutive noun suffix; -ule

Word History and Origins

Origin of lunula¹

C16: from Latin: small moon, from lūna

Example Sentences

Neither the museum or the police have specified what items were stolen, but the museum's Bronze Age collection includes gold ingots, bracelets and a lunula necklace.

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The museum's Bronze Age collection includes gold ingots, bracelets, and a lunula necklace.

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You may never have heard of this single-celled alga, but sailors and fishermen know its effect very well: the P. lunula algae are the organisms that occasionally make the see glow blue.

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Then use a file to gently shape the sides of your nail, she said, getting rid of any sharp corners, by following the lunula, the lighter colored half moon shape at the nail base.

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My nail lunula have more varied curves than these digital illustrations.

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