moon

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“

Think the moon is a blue moon, a single elephantine sapphire.

—The Innocence of Father Brown

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American Heritage Dictionary (12)

noun The natural satellite of Earth, visible by reflection of sunlight and having a slightly elliptical orbit, approximately 356,000 kilometers (221,600 miles) distant at perigee and 406,997 kilometers (252,950 miles) at apogee. Its mean diameter is 3,475 kilometers (2,160 miles), its mass approximately one eightieth that of Earth, and its average period of revolution around Earth 29 days 12 hours 44 minutes calculated with respect to the sun.
noun A natural satellite revolving around a planet.
noun The moon as it appears at a particular time in its cycle of phases: a gibbous moon.

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Century Dictionary (45)

A heavenly body which revolves around the earth monthly, accompanying the earth as a satellite in its annual revolution, and shining by the sun's reflected light. Next to the sun, the moon is the most conspicuous and interesting of celestial objects. The rapidity of its motion, the variety of its phases, and especially the striking phenomena of eclipses, compelled the attention of the earliest observers; and the fact that lunar observations can be made available to determine the longitude has given the theory of the moon's motion the first rank in economic importance, while the mathematical problems involved have proved most interesting and fertile from the scientific point of view. Of all the heavenly bodies (meteors excepted) the moon is nearest to us. Its mean distance is a little more than sixty times the radius of the earth, or 238,800 miles. The dimensions of the moon as compared with those of the earth are far greater than those of any other satellite in proportion to its primary. Its diameter is 2,162 miles (about 0.273 of the earth's equatorial diameter), and its volume, or bulk, is 0.0204, or about one forty-ninth of that of the earth. Its mean density, however (about 3.4 times that of water), is only about three fifths of that of the earth, and its mass about one eightieth. The inclination of its orbit to the ecliptic is 5°8' 40“. It completes its revolution around the earth in an average period of 27d. 7h. 43m. 11.5s., which constitutes the sidereal month; the ordinary, or synodical, month, from new moon to new moon again, is a little more than two days longer — 29d. 12h. 44m. 2.7s. (See month.) The moon's orbital motion is subject to considerable inequalities, due to the disturbing action of the sun, and the investigation of these inequalities makes up the major part of the “lunar theory.” The moon revolves on its axis once in a sidereal month, thus always presenting nearly the same face to the earth — a circumstance which has led to the fallacy of a denial of its rotation. (See rotation.) Its disk appears to the naked eye diversified by dark and bright patches, giving rise to the “man in the moon” of popular fancy (see under man); but on examination with a powerful telescope these are lost sight of, and replaced by a crowd of interesting objects. such as mountains and valleys, craters and clefts, on a scale unknown upon the earth: the surface-structure seems to be mainly volcanic, resembling very closely in certain respects, and differing most markedly in others from, that which is characteristic of volcanic regions on the earth's surface. The moon has no clouds, shows no indications of an atmosphere or of the presence of water, and is believed to have a temperature which at its maximum does not rise above the melting-point of ice. See libration. To graffe and sowe in growing of the moone, And kytte and mowe in wanyng is to doon. Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 30. What time the mighty moon was gathering light. Tennyson, Love and Death.
A satellite of any planet: as, the moons of Jupiter; Uranian moons.
The period of a synodical revolution of the moon round the earth; a month. This mone, in sunny daies and serene Withouten frost, thi cornes, weede hem clene. Palladius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 46. One twelve moons more she'll wear Diana's livery. Shak., Pericles, ii. 5. 10. This roaring moon of daffodil And crocus. Tennyson, Pref. Sonnet to Nineteenth Century.

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If we could take the pound weight to the moon, the attractive force of the earth would be reduced to 1-3600, as the moon is 240,000 miles distant, that is sixty times the earth's radius. — Aether and Gravitation
He joined them at their after-dinner coffee, but he said he had had his smoke, and when, presently, May expressed a laudable desire to go and see what the moon was about, he could do no less than offer to escort her Won't you come, Miss Beverly?" — A Venetian June
For it would be the season of harvest--were such known in the Chaco--and the moon is at her full, lighting up the campo with a clearness unknown to northern lands Were it otherwise, Rufino Valdez might have halted here, and been forced to stay in the Chaco for another night. — Gaspar the Gaucho A Story of the Gran Chaco
Though the moon was absent the air was so clear that on the background of the white sand a man could distinguish the general outline of objects, even when small or distant. — The Pharaoh and the Priest An Historical Novel of Ancient Egypt
And once more only the sounds of the night--that vague stir in the windless woods, as if the forest breathes, the far-away tinkle of water hidden in the darkness--and the moon is among the summits The men remained within, for Absalom avoided the chill night air, and crouched over the smouldering fire. — His "Day In Court" 1895

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sun · planet · sky · moonlight · light · dawn · mountain · earth · bird · lake · heaven · sunset

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moon: moons

Etymologies (3)

American Heritage Dictionary (1)

Middle English moone, from Old English mōna; see mē-² in Indo-European roots.

Century Dictionary (2)

from Middle English moone, mone, from Anglo-Saxon mōna = Old Saxon māno = OFries. mōna = Middle Dutch maene, Dutch maan = Middle Low German māne, mān, Low German maan = Old High German māno, Middle High German māne, mōn, also (with excrescent t, due prob. in part to association with mānet, month) mānte, mānde, German mond = Icelandic māni = Swedish måne = Danish maane = Gothic (Moesogothic) mēna (all muse.), the moon; = Greek μήνη, the moon, = Lithuanian menů, the moon; cf., with apparently formative s, Old Bulgarian miesetsĭ, etc., moon, month, Latin mensis, month, Greek μήν (for *μηνς), month (Μήν, the Moon-god, Latin Lunus, Μήνη, the Moon-goddess, Latin Luna), Sanskrit mās (for *māns, *mēns) = Zend mās, later Persian māh (later Hindustani Turk, māh), moon, month. The relations of these forms to each other, and to the words for ‘month’ (see month), and their ult. root, are undetermined. The usual explanation is that the moon is the ‘measurer’ (sc. of time), from √ from ma, Sanskrit mā, measure (whence ult. English mete and measure). The L. name of the moon (luna) and the L., Greek, and Teutonic names for the sun (Latin sōl = Anglo-Saxon sōl, etc.; Greek ήλιος; Anglo-Saxon sunne, English sun, etc.) come from other roots, meaning ‘shine.’
(. moon, n.

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moon

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