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moon
[ moon ]
/ mun /
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noun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Idioms about moon
blue moon. See entry at blue moon.
over the moon. See entry at over the moon.
Origin of moon
before 900; Middle English mone,Old English mōna; cognate with Old High German māno,Old Norse māni,Gothic mena; akin to German Mond moon, Latin mēnsis month, Greek mḗnē moon, Sanskrit māsa moon, month
OTHER WORDS FROM moon
moon·er, nounmoon·less, adjectiveWords nearby moon
moolah, mooli, mooloo, moolvie, Moomba, moon, moon bag, moonball, moonbeam, moon-blind, moon blindness
Other definitions for moon (2 of 2)
Moon
[ moon ]
/ mun /
noun
Sun Myung [suhn myuhng], /sʌn myʌŋ/, 1920–2012, Korean religious leader: founder of the Unification Church.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use moon in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for moon (1 of 3)
moon
/ (muːn) /
noun
verb
(when tr, often foll by away; when intr, often foll by around) to be idle in a listless way, as if in love, or to idle (time) away
(intr) slang to expose one's buttocks to passers-by
Derived forms of moon
moonless, adjectiveWord Origin for moon
Old English mōna; compare Old Frisian mōna, Old High German māno
British Dictionary definitions for moon (2 of 3)
Moon1
/ (muːn) /
noun
a system of embossed alphabetical signs for blind readers, the fourteen basic characters of which can, by rotation, mimic most of the letters of the Roman alphabet, thereby making learning easier for those who learned to read before going blindCompare Braille 1
British Dictionary definitions for moon (3 of 3)
Moon2
/ (muːn) /
noun
William. 1818–94, British inventor of the Moon writing system in 1847, who, himself blind, taught blind children in Brighton and printed mainly religious works from stereotyped plates of his own designing
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
Scientific definitions for moon
moon
[ mōōn ]
Often Moon. The natural satellite of Earth, visible by reflection of sunlight and traveling around Earth in a slightly elliptical orbit at an average distance of about 381,600 km (237,000 mi). The Moon's average diameter is 3,480 km (2,160 mi), and its mass is about 180 that of Earth. Its average period of revolution around Earth is 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes. See more at giant impact theory.
A natural satellite revolving around a planet.
A Closer Look
The Earth's Moon is a desolate and quiet place. The only natural satellite of Earth, it consists almost entirely of rock, shows no signs of ongoing geologic activity, has no water, and has a very thin atmosphere consisting primarily of sodium. But our Moon does not present a typical case for planetary satellites. Over the last 50 years, over a hundred more moons have been discovered in the solar system, so that they now total 165, nearly all of them orbiting the larger planets Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus (Mercury and Venus have no moon), with an additional four moons orbiting dwarf planets. Because they are so far from the Sun, these moons are for the most part extremely cold. Io, one of Jupiter's 63 known moons, is an exception. It is the most geologically active body in the solar system, with almost constant volcanic activity and a surface covered by cooling lava. Some scientists think that another moon of Jupiter, Europa, may have liquid water capable of supporting life underneath a thick layer of surface ice. Titan, one of Saturn's moons, may also be capable of supporting primitive life in the ocean of liquid methane on its frigid surface.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for moon
moon
A natural satellite of a planet; an object that revolves around a planet. The planets vary in the number of their moons; for example, Mercury and Venus have none, the Earth has one, and Jupiter has seventeen or more. The planets' moons, like the planets themselves, shine by reflected light.
notes for moon
The Earth's moon is about 240,000 miles away and is about 2,000 miles in diameter. The volume of the Earth is fifty times that of the moon; the mass of the Earth is about eighty times that of the moon. The moon has no atmosphere, and its gravity is about one-sixth that of the Earth.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with moon
moon
see ask for the moon; once in a blue moon.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.