lunula

See also: Lunula, lúnula, lunulă, and lunulą

English

The lunula is the white crescent-shaped area at the base of a nail.

Alternative forms

• lunule

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lūnula. By surface analysis, luna +‎ -ula.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): (second syllable stressed) /ˈlun.ju.lə/, (second syllable unstressed) /ˈlun.jʊ.lə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

lunula (plural lunulae or (archaic) lunulæ)

1. (anatomy) Something shaped like a crescent or half-moon; especially the pale area at the base of the fingernail.
2. (Ancient Rome, historical) A crescent moon-shaped pendant worn by girls in Ancient Rome.
3. (rare) Characters of the pair ( ); parentheses.

Synonyms

• ("(" or ")"): parentheses, brackets

Derived terms

• azure lunula
• lunular
• lunulate

Translations

pale area at the base of the fingernail

• Bulgarian: лунула f (lunula)
• Catalan: lúnula f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 甲弧影 (jiǎhúyǐng)

• Czech: lunula (cs) f
• Esperanto: lunulo
• Finnish: lunula (fi), puolikuu (fi)
• French: lunule (fr) f
• Galician: lúnula f
• German: Nagelmöndchen n, Lunula (de) f
• Gujarati: નખચંદ (nakhcand)
• Ido: luneto (io)
• Indonesian: lunula
• Italian: lunula (it) f
• Polish: obłączek (pl) m inan, rąbek (pl) m inan, lunula (pl) f
• Portuguese: lúnula f
• Romanian: lunulă (ro) f
• Russian: лу́нула (ru) f (lúnula)
• Spanish: lúnula (es) f
• Tamil: லுனுலா (luṉulā)
• Turkish:

  Ottoman Turkish: هلال (hilal)

• Unami: lënapeokàni sàhkihëlënch

See also

• eponychium

Finnish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lūnula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈlunulɑ/, [ˈlunulɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -unulɑ
• Syllabification^(key): lu‧nu‧la
• Hyphenation^(key): lu‧nu‧la

Noun

lunula

1. (anatomy) lunula (pale area at the base of a fingernail)

Declension

Inflection of lunula (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)
nominative		lunula	lunulat
genitive		lunulan	lunuloiden lunuloitten
partitive		lunulaa	lunuloita
illative		lunulaan	lunuloihin
		singular	plural
nominative		lunula	lunulat
accusative	nom.	lunula	lunulat
	gen.	lunulan
genitive		lunulan	lunuloiden lunuloitten lunulain rare
partitive		lunulaa	lunuloita
inessive		lunulassa	lunuloissa
elative		lunulasta	lunuloista
illative		lunulaan	lunuloihin
adessive		lunulalla	lunuloilla
ablative		lunulalta	lunuloilta
allative		lunulalle	lunuloille
essive		lunulana	lunuloina
translative		lunulaksi	lunuloiksi
abessive		lunulatta	lunuloitta
instructive		—	lunuloin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of lunula (Kotus type 12/kulkija, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative lunulani lunulani accusative nom. lunulani lunulani gen. lunulani genitive lunulani lunuloideni lunuloitteni lunulaini rare partitive lunulaani lunuloitani inessive lunulassani lunuloissani elative lunulastani lunuloistani illative lunulaani lunuloihini adessive lunulallani lunuloillani ablative lunulaltani lunuloiltani allative lunulalleni lunuloilleni essive lunulanani lunuloinani translative lunulakseni lunuloikseni abessive lunulattani lunuloittani instructive — — comitative — lunuloineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative lunulasi lunulasi accusative nom. lunulasi lunulasi gen. lunulasi genitive lunulasi lunuloidesi lunuloittesi lunulaisi rare partitive lunulaasi lunuloitasi inessive lunulassasi lunuloissasi elative lunulastasi lunuloistasi illative lunulaasi lunuloihisi adessive lunulallasi lunuloillasi ablative lunulaltasi lunuloiltasi allative lunulallesi lunuloillesi essive lunulanasi lunuloinasi translative lunulaksesi lunuloiksesi abessive lunulattasi lunuloittasi instructive — — comitative — lunuloinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative lunulamme lunulamme accusative nom. lunulamme lunulamme gen. lunulamme genitive lunulamme lunuloidemme lunuloittemme lunulaimme rare partitive lunulaamme lunuloitamme inessive lunulassamme lunuloissamme elative lunulastamme lunuloistamme illative lunulaamme lunuloihimme adessive lunulallamme lunuloillamme ablative lunulaltamme lunuloiltamme allative lunulallemme lunuloillemme essive lunulanamme lunuloinamme translative lunulaksemme lunuloiksemme abessive lunulattamme lunuloittamme instructive — — comitative — lunuloinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative lunulanne lunulanne accusative nom. lunulanne lunulanne gen. lunulanne genitive lunulanne lunuloidenne lunuloittenne lunulainne rare partitive lunulaanne lunuloitanne inessive lunulassanne lunuloissanne elative lunulastanne lunuloistanne illative lunulaanne lunuloihinne adessive lunulallanne lunuloillanne ablative lunulaltanne lunuloiltanne allative lunulallenne lunuloillenne essive lunulananne lunuloinanne translative lunulaksenne lunuloiksenne abessive lunulattanne lunuloittanne instructive — — comitative — lunuloinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative lunulansa lunulansa accusative nom. lunulansa lunulansa gen. lunulansa genitive lunulansa lunuloidensa lunuloittensa lunulainsa rare partitive lunulaansa lunuloitaan lunuloitansa inessive lunulassaan lunulassansa lunuloissaan lunuloissansa elative lunulastaan lunulastansa lunuloistaan lunuloistansa illative lunulaansa lunuloihinsa adessive lunulallaan lunulallansa lunuloillaan lunuloillansa ablative lunulaltaan lunulaltansa lunuloiltaan lunuloiltansa allative lunulalleen lunulallensa lunuloilleen lunuloillensa essive lunulanaan lunulanansa lunuloinaan lunuloinansa translative lunulakseen lunulaksensa lunuloikseen lunuloiksensa abessive lunulattaan lunulattansa lunuloittaan lunuloittansa instructive — — comitative — lunuloineen lunuloinensa

Synonyms

• puolikuu

Anagrams

• laulun

Indonesian

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin lūnula.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /luˈnula/ [luˈnu.la]
• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: lu‧nu‧la

Noun

lunula (plural lunula-lunula)

1. (anatomy) lunula: something shaped like a crescent or half-moon; especially the pale area at the base of the fingernail
2. (Catholicism) luna, lunette, lunula: a crescent-shaped receptacle, often glass, for holding the (consecrated) host (the bread of communion) upright when exposed in the monstrance

Further reading

• “lunula”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin lūnula.

Noun

lunula f (plural lunule)

1. lunette, half-moon, lunula

Latin

Etymology

From lūna (“moon”) + -ula (forming diminutives).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈɫuː.nʊ.ɫa]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈluː.nu.la]

Noun

lūnula f (genitive lūnulae); first declension

1. an ornament in the form of a little moon

Declension

First-declension noun.

	singular	plural
nominative	lūnula	lūnulae
genitive	lūnulae	lūnulārum
dative	lūnulae	lūnulīs
accusative	lūnulam	lūnulās
ablative	lūnulā	lūnulīs
vocative	lūnula	lūnulae

Derived terms

• lūnulātus

Descendants

• English: lunule, lunula
• French: lunule
• Italian: lunula
• Spanish: lúnula

References

• “lunula”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• "lunula", in Charles du Fresne du Cange, Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
• “lunula”, in Gaffiot, Félix (1934), Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Polish

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *lewk-

Proto-Indo-European *-sneh₂

Proto-Indo-European *lówksneh₂

Proto-Italic *louksnā

Latin lūna

Proto-Indo-European *-lós

Proto-Indo-European *-elós

Proto-Italic *-elos

Latin -ula

Latin lūnulalbor.

Polish lunula

Learned borrowing from Latin lūnula.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /luˈnu.la/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ula
• Syllabification: lu‧nu‧la

Noun

lunula f

1. (Ancient Rome, historical) lunula (crescent moon-shaped pendant worn by girls in Ancient Rome)
2. (Christianity, chiefly Catholicism and Anglicanism) lunette, luna (crescent-shaped receptacle, often glass, for holding the consecrated host upright when exposed in the monstrance)

   Synonyms: melchizedech, melchizedek

Declension

Declension of lunula

	singular	plural
nominative	lunula	lunule
genitive	lunuli	lunul/lunuli
dative	lunuli	lunulom
accusative	lunulę	lunule
instrumental	lunulą	lunulami
locative	lunuli	lunulach
vocative	lunulo	lunule

Further reading

• “lunula”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[1] (in Polish)