moon
pronunciation
How to pronounce moon in British English:
UK [muːn]
How to pronounce moon in American English:
US [muːn]
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- Noun:
- the natural satellite of the Earth
- any object resembling a moon
- the period between successive new moons (29.531 days)
- the light of the moon
- any natural satellite of a planet
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- Verb:
- have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake
- be idle in a listless or dreamy way
- expose one's buttocks to
Word Origin
- moon
- moon: [OE] Indo-European *mēnes- meant both ‘moon’ and ‘month’. It was probably a derivative of the base *me- (source of English measure), reflecting the fact that in ancient times the passage of time was measured by the revolutions of the moon. Both strands of meaning have been preserved in the Germanic languages, represented by different forms: the ‘moon’ strand has differentiated into German mond, Dutch maan, Swedish måane, Danish maane, and English moon. Etymologically, Monday is ‘moon day’.=> measure, metre, monday, month
- moon (n.)
- Old English mona, from Proto-Germanic *menon- (cognates: Old Saxon and Old High German mano, Old Frisian mona, Old Norse mani, Danish maane, Dutch maan, German Mond, Gothic mena "moon"), from PIE *me(n)ses- "moon, month" (cognates: Sanskrit masah "moon, month;" Avestan ma, Persian mah, Armenian mis "month;" Greek mene "moon," men "month;" Latin mensis "month;" Old Church Slavonic meseci, Lithuanian menesis "moon, month;" Old Irish mi, Welsh mis, Breton miz "month"), probably from root *me- "to measure," in reference to the moon's phases as the measure of time. A masculine noun in Old English. In Greek, Italic, Celtic, Armenian the cognate words now mean only "month." Greek selene (Lesbian selanna) is from selas "light, brightness (of heavenly bodies)." Old Norse also had tungl "moon," ("replacing mani in prose" - Buck), evidently an older Germanic word for "heavenly body," cognate with Gothic tuggl, Old English tungol "heavenly body, constellation," of unknown origin or connection. Hence Old Norse tunglfylling "lunation," tunglœrr "lunatic" (adj.). Extended 1665 to satellites of other planets. To shoot the moon "leave without paying rent" is British slang from c. 1823; card-playing sense perhaps influenced by gambler's shoot the works (1922) "go for broke" in shooting dice. The moon race and the U.S. space program of the 1960s inspired a number of coinages, including, from those skeptical of the benefits to be gained, moondoggle (based on boondoggle). The man in the moon is mentioned since early 14c.; he carries a bundle of thorn-twigs and is accompanied by a dog. Some Japanese, however, see a rice-cake-making rabbit in the moon.
- moon (v.)
- c. 1600, "to expose to moonlight;" later "idle about" (1836), "move listlessly" (1848), probably on notion of being moonstruck. The meaning "to flash the buttocks" is first recorded 1968, U.S. student slang, from moon (n.) "buttocks" (1756), "probably from the idea of pale circularity" [Ayto]. See moon (n.). Related: Mooned; mooning.
Example
- 1. Man has not walked on the moon since 1972 .
- 2. Craters of the moon is seismically active as well .
- 3. An almost full moon illuminates the darkness .
- 4. That makes both planet hunting and moon hunting easier .
- 5. Even a bright moon couldn 't spoil the show , salomonsen added .