lunate

L1U1N1A1T1E1
/ˈluːneɪt/

adjective

Shaped like a crescent.

“a lunate beak”

Similar
crescentcrescent-shapedsemilunarrounded
OriginLatin lūnātus →
RareFirst used 1932Scrabble 6
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Meanings

adjectivelunate (comparative more lunate, superlative most lunate)

comparative more lunate · superlative most lunate

  1. Shaped like a crescent.

    a lunate beak

nounlunate (plural lunates)

plural lunates

  1. archaeologyA small stone artifact, probably an arrowhead, with a blunt straight edge and a sharpened, crescent-shaped back, especially characteristic of the Mesolithic Period.First known use 1932
  2. anatomyThe lunate bone.

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveresembling the new moon in shape

Similar
crescentcrescent-shapedsemilunarrounded
Also see
crescentcrescent-shapedsemilunar

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latinlūnātus“crescent-shaped”
  2. Englishlunate

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

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

tenualTuleaneluantLuneta
Cite this entry
APA

lunate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunate

MLA

“lunate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunate. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lunate,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lunate.

Source: lunate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.