lunate

The story

1. Latin · borrowed fromlūnātus“crescent-shaped”
2. English todaylunate

First attested in 1777; borrowed from Latin lūnātus (“crescent-shaped”), from lūna (“moon”), see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).

First known use, by meaning

• from 1932 A small stone artifact, probably an arrowhead, with a blunt straight edge and a sharpened, crescent-shaped back, especially characteristic of the Mesolithic Period.