Etymograph

English

lunation

Lunation comes from Medieval Latin lūnātiō ‘lunar month, lunation’, from Latin luno ‘bend in a crescent’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówksneh₂‘moon’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksnā‘moon’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūna‘moon’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEluno‘bend in a crescent’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500lūnātiō‘lunar month, lunation’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1357lunation

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*lewk-‘bright’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*lówksneh₂‘moon’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*louksnā‘moon’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CElūna‘moon’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEluno‘bend in a crescent’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500lūnātiō‘lunar month, lunation’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1357lunation

Earliest quotation: 1357, John Mandeville, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville: “And there is not the moon seen in all…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *lewk- ‘bright’

light, low, link, los, lucy, ounce, lea, translucent, luminous, lux, lynx, lucid, lumen, illuminate, luce, luminosity, lumia, illumination, loach, leucine, lum, luminescent, luminary, luminal, 75 more

through Latin lūna ‘moon’

lunar, lune, 13 more

Today it means

noun A month of an average of approximately 29.53 days, measured from a lunar phase until the return of that same phase.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *lewk- / lunation

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