half-moon
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (2)
- the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernailSynonyms: lunulalunuleType of area, regionPart of nail
- the time at which the Moon is at first or last quarter when half its face is illuminatedType of phase of the moonKinds first quarter, last quarterPart of month
Word of the day · Nov 7About this word
perennialadjective
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Half′-moon′ (-mo͞on′), noun
1. The moon at the quarters, when half its disk appears illuminated.
2. The shape of a half-moon; a crescent.
See how in warlike muster they appear, In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings.— John Milton
3. Fortification An outwork composed of two faces, forming a salient angle whose gorge resembles a half-moon; — now called a ravelin.
4. Zoology A marine, sparoid, food fish of California (Caesiosoma Californiense). The body is ovate, blackish above, blue or gray below. Called also medialuna.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54