Lunaris

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. A term used to describe something relating to the moon or lunar phenomena
2. Pertaining to or characterized by the qualities of the moon, such as its phases or light
3. Descriptive of celestial attributes and influences associated with the lunar body

Etymology: Medieval physicians believed the moon influenced the body's humours and the mind, which is why "lunatic" came to mean someone driven mad by the moon. That word and this adjective both grow from Latin "luna," the moon. This form adds the suffix "-aris," meaning "relating to," so it describes anything of or belonging to the moon, from its phases to its pale light. English usually prefers "lunar," which reached the language through Latin and learned writing in the later Middle Ages, rather than borrowing this exact form. The Latin root survives most visibly in botany. The honesty plant, genus Lunaria, takes its name from "luna" because its flat, translucent seed pods look like silvery discs. Botanists' epithets built on the same stem, such as "lunaris," carry that image into scientific Latin.

Synonyms: lunar, moonlike, moonlit, selenic

Antonyms: solar, sunny, heliacal