monstrous moonshine

noun

The unexpected connection between the Monster group and modular functions, now known to relate to a certain conformal field theory having the Monster group as symmetries.

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Meanings

nounmonstrous moonshine (uncountable)
  1. uncountablemathematicsThe unexpected connection between the Monster group and modular functions, now known to relate to a certain conformal field theory having the Monster group as symmetries.

Origin

Coined by John Conway and Simon P. Norton in 1979.

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Cite this entry
APA

monstrous moonshine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monstrous%20moonshine

MLA

“monstrous moonshine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monstrous%20moonshine. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “monstrous moonshine,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/monstrous%20moonshine.

Source: monstrous moonshine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.