moon

alternative obsolete moone

1. singularsingular onlywith definite articleAlternative letter-case form of Moon (“the Earth's only permanent natural satellite”).

   "I suppose I may have leave to do that!" Yes, she could do that, he said, but there was no road to that place; it lay east of the sun and west of the moon, and she could never find her way there.

   1886, Peter Christen Asbjø￵rnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 233

   1 more example

   Immediatly after the tribulacions off thoſe dayes / ſhall the ſun be derkeneth: and the mone ſhall not geve her light / and the ſtarrꝭ ſhall fall from heven / and the powers of hevẽ ſhall move

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Matthew xxiiij:[29], folio xxxiiij, verso

plural moons · alternative obsolete moone

1. broadlyinformalAny natural satellite of a planet.

   That's no moon, you idiot... it's a space station!

   3 more examples

   The stargazer observed the moons of Jupiter for over a year.

   Temperatures at Neptune are so low that Triton, its only major moon, revealed landscapes of nitrogen and methane ice.

   1990 August, Bradford A. Smith, “Voyage of the Century”, in National Geographic, volume 178, number 2, page 63

   The field’s practitioners believe that as they learn to read the universe using neutrinos, they could make new, unexpected discoveries — much as the lensmakers who first developed the telescope could not have imagined that Galileo would later use it to discover the moons of Jupiter.

   2021 March 30, Anton Troianovski, “Hunting Ghost Particles Beneath the World’s Deepest Lake”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 30 Mar 2021

   Synonyms: Moon, satellite

2. The light received from the Moon; moonlight.

   ‘Thank God we’ll have hit a bit of moon,’ Arthur Ashby remarked, glancing at the half-moon that had appeared through a break in the scudding dark clouds.

   1961, Tom Mead, Killers of Eden, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, page 159

3. literaryA month, particularly a lunar month.

   They stayed with their aunt and uncle for many moons.

   5 more examples

   For since these arms of mine had seven years' pith, Till now some nine moons wasted, they have used Their dearest action in the tented field…

   1603, William Shakespeare, Othello

   They number their age by Moons or Winters, and say a Woman or a Man is so many Moons old, and so they do with all memorable Actions in life, accounting it to be so many Moons or Winters since such or such a thing happened.

   1737, John Brickell, The natural history of North-Carolina, pages 308–309

   Many moons had waxed and waned when on the afternoon of a lovely summer day a lusty broad-boned knight was riding through the forest of Sherwood.

   1822, Thomas Love Peacock, Maid Marian, page 238

   “From whence came the yellow metal, Busuli?” he asked. The black pointed toward the southeast. “A moon’s march away—maybe more,” he replied.

   1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page 128

   2002, Russell Allen, "Incantations of the Apprentice", on Symphony X, The Odyssey. Through eerie reach of ancient woods / Where lumbering mists arise / I journey for nines moons of the year / To where a land of legend lies

   Synonyms: calendar month, lunar month, month

4. A representation of the moon, usually as a crescent or as a circle with a face; a crescent-shaped shape, symbol, or object.

   The wizard costume was decorated with stars and moons.

5. A crescent-like outwork in a fortification.

   The moons surrounding the city walls were built in the sixteenth century.

6. The eighteenth trump/major arcana card of the tarot.
7. cartomancyThe thirty-second Lenormand card.
8. card gamesIn hearts, the action of taking all the point cards in one hand.

present singular third person moons · participle present mooning · participle past mooned · past mooned · alternative obsolete moone

1. colloquialtransitiveTo display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.

   The hooligans mooned the riot police.

   1 more example

   It was ill-advised of Sam to moon the photographer during the shoot.

2. colloquialintransitiveTo gaze at lovingly or in adoration.

   To completely back down now would be as unnatural as mooning in front of your girlfriend's parents.

   2009, Tim Thornton, The Alternative Hero, Random House, →ISBN, page 9

   1 more example

   Bradly stood bewitched, mooning at the moon. Betimes he bent in a grotesque posture and looked at it between his legs, which was to rid his mind of preconceived colour values by seeing them upside down.

   1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 164

3. colloquialintransitiveusuallyTo fuss over something adoringly; to be infatuated with someone.

   Sarah mooned over Sam's photograph for months.

   2 more examples

   You've been mooning after her forever; why not just ask her out?

   On some level, the filmmakers behind Monster Trucks must have recognized the ill fit of Till playing a teenager, because they cast Jane Levy, a 27-year-old who can pass for younger but not a decade younger, as Meredith, a nerdy classmate of Tripp’s who moons over him as she insists on making an appointment to tutor him in biology.

   2017 January 12, Jesse Hassenger, “A literal monster truck is far from the stupidest thing about Monster Trucks”, in The Onion AV Club

4. To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.

   I mooned around. I was mighty sick of the room by then.

   2001, Stephen King, The Death of Jack Hamilton

   1 more example

   We were only three on board. The poor old skipper mooned in the cabin.

   1898, Joseph Conrad, Youth

5. transitiveTo expose to the rays of the Moon.
6. transitiveTo adorn with moons or crescents.
7. businessTo rise in price rapidly or suddenly. (from to the moon)

   It is impractical if a currency moons and plummets often.

   2 more examples

   I've followed several of the most popular crypto pundits on Twitter and discovered they constantly brag about their one big Hail Mary pick that mooned but neglect to mention – or delete – their numerous fumbles.

   2019, Mark Grabowski, Cryptocurrencies: A Primer on Digital Money, Routledge, →ISBN

   “It was like nothing I ever saw. Just complete murder and carnage.” “Everything seemed calm at first but then this guy in a suit shows up talking about investment opportunities. Next thing you know these people over here started chanting, "Hoddle, Hoddle," and their NFTs started mooning. And then, these guys over here started saying those guys right there right-clicked 'em and-and called for a pump-and-dump, which made these guys beat the living hell out of anyone who said it was just FOMO and died screaming that is was the flippening. Luckily I came out of it ok. I got this little miniature donkey with a lit-up sombrero.” “Did you see where the guy in the suit went afterwards?” “Nah, he just waltzed right away like nothin' happened.” “Chief, you better come take a look at this. We got a small turtle with wings, could be a great investment opportunity.” “Excuse me, gentlemen.”

   2021 December 16, Trey Parker, “South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID” (29:23 from the start), in South Park, spoken by Fire Chief (Trey Parker)

8. card gamesTo shoot the moon.

plural Moons · alternative moon · alternative obsolete moone

1. The Earth's moon; the sole natural satellite of the Earth, represented in astronomy and astrology by ☾.

   I kind of have two Moons up there. I look at the Moon just like everybody else who's never been there. But every once in a while I do think of the second Moon, the one that I recall from up close and, yeah, it is kind of hard to believe that I was actually up there.

   2011 September 18, Michael Collins, quotee, “Out of this world: What it's really like to to^([sic]) walk on the moon”, in The Independent, London: Independent News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 31 Jul 2021

   Synonyms: Cynthia, Luna, Selene, mul:☾, mul:☽

2. human sciencesA personification of the moon.

   Moon's Day.

   2005, Falcon Stow, An Anglo-Saxon Almanac, privately published, page 13

   3 more examples

   Women's rhythm of life, her monthly renewal with her patroness the Moon, is the most important thing in her existence.

   1961, Xavier Herbert, Soldiers' Women, Netley, SA: Fontana Books, published 1978, page 145

   Moon, the companion of Night, waxes and wanes, and we call this time a month.

   1994, Tony Linsell, Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Migration & Magic, Anglo-Saxon Books, →ISBN, page 15

   Sun come, Moon come, Seed time, dry time, fog and rain, Sowing, growing, reaping, resting, Sun come, Moon come, etc.

   2005, Diana Paxson, Taking up the Runes, Weiser Books, →ISBN, page 328

3. The 54th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.

1. A surname.
2. A number of places in the United States:
   1. An unincorporated community in Morgan County, Kentucky.
   2. A township in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
   3. A ghost town in Pennington County, South Dakota.
   4. An unincorporated community in Mathews County, Virginia.
   5. An unincorporated community in the town of Mosinee, Marathon County, Wisconsin.