lunarist

plural lunarists · alternative Lunarist

1. historicalobsoleteOne who believes in the influence of the Moon on the weather of the Earth.

   3 more examples

   It can be safely stated, that so far as actual facts can be brought forward that are worthy of consideration, and so far as observations have been made by the very few who have already taken the trouble to examine the subject in a philosophical spirit, the lunarists have a very strong basis to work upon, and enough to encourage them to persevere in order to attain still more decided results; while the anti-lunarists have signally failed in predicting the weather and storms, also in deducing anything likely to crush the popular belief, or to satisfy the scientific inquirer.

   1865, Walter Lord Browne, The moon and the weather, page 90

   The most recent adventurer in the direction of formulating a theory of the moon's influence on the weather is Mr. Hugh Clements, whose name is probably already familiar to many of our readers as that of a lunarist whose "long distance" predictions of weather have not infrequently appeared in the public press.

   1904, The Meteorological Magazine, volume 38, page 10

   Even if FitzRoy did entertain doubts about the moon's influence on weather, he certainly never gave the moon the slightest consideration when he was compiling his forecasts. Others, apart from Saxby, also charged Fitzroy with being a lunarist. FitzRoy denied this vehemently, but it is easy to see from some of his writing why people might think he remained uncommitted.

   2012, Jerry Lockett, The Discovery of Weather: Stephen Saxby, the Tumultuous Birth of Weather Forecasting, and Saxby's Gale of 1869

plural Lunarists

1. alternativeAlternative form of lunarist.

   Furthermore, the “Lunarists” (not to be confused with the Lunar Society, a group of natural philosophers who met whenever there was a full moon), held that various conjunctions of the earth and the moon could give warning of oncoming bad weather.

   2017, Gordon Tripp, The Weathermen: Their Story

   2 more examples

   I am at length happy to be able to record in the Nautical that the terra "Lunarist" is no longer one of reproach: — that henceforward one may speculate on the agency of the moon in causing what we call "weather" without meeting with that derisive sarcasm which, even from the mouth of well meaning friends, could only be a pang or a regret.

   1863 March 28, S. M. Saxby, The Nautical Magazine

   Both the Lunarists and the Astrometeorologists appeal to certain cases in which the facts coincided with their predictions; but the latter, who are the most daring in their assertions, often think themselves right when other folks might consider them wrong.

   1865, The Intellectual Observer, volume 6, page 105