A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin


Moon: luna,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. luna, q.v.; Gk. selene (s.f.I), gen. sg. selenae; - luna crescens,-entis (part.A), the growing or increasing, i.e. crescent moon. - luna decrescens,-entis (part.A), the decreasing or waning moon. - orbita (s.f.I) lunae: the circuit or orbit of the moon. New Moon: 1. Interlunium,-ii (s.n.II),-ii (s.n.II), abl. sg. interlunio: “interlunation, the interlunar period; a period of darkness or blankness” (WIII); (> L. interlunis,-e (adj.B, q.v.), the new moon, time of new moon, interlunary interval” (Lewis & Short)]; cf. novilunium,-ii (s.n.II). 2. Novilunium,-ii (s.n.II), abl. sg. novilunio: the new moon: “the thin crescent moon seen in the western evening sky shortly after sunset a few days after the actual occurrence of the new moon [i.e. dark appearance, or dark side] phase” (WIII); “the new moon (late Lat. for nova luna” (Lewis & Short); cf. interlunium,-ii (s.n.II). relating to the new moon: novilunaris,-e (adj.B); also interlunis,-e (adj.B), interlunarius,-a,-um (adj.A): new moon, interlunar, interlunary, “relating to the interval between old and new moon when the moon is invisible” (WIII). NOTE: the genus Silene, q.v., derives from Silenus, see Silene (s.f.I). NOTE: in Gk.: meis, gen.sg. mEnos (s.m.III): month; also the crescent moon, “the part of the month corresponding to a phase of the moon; the visible part of the moon; an ornament in the form of a crescent moon (dim.= Meniskos, the crescent moon); as a proper noun, the god Lunus, masc. of MEnE (Indo European stem mEns - ‘moon,’ ‘month,’ cf. Lat. mensis, gen. pl. mensum” (Liddell & Scott). NOTE: in Greek mEnE, (s.f.I), the moon. little moon: lunula,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. lunula. Menispermum L., Moonseed. “name > Gk. mEn- (mEnE (s.f.I), the moon, + sperma, seed; cf. L. menis,-idis (s.f.III) = Gk. mEnis, a little half-moon, a crescent “placed as an ornament at the beginning of books: a prima menide libri, i.e. from the beginning” (Lewis & Short). NOTE: but Lewis and Short indicate that in Latin Menis,-idis (s.f.III) = Gk. MEnis = ‘a little half-moon.’ However in Greek MEnis,-idis has to do with ‘wrath, a revengeful temper.’
Moon, of or belonging to the: lunaris,-e (adj.B), q.v.; lunarius,-a,-um (adj.A). Lunaria,-ae (s.f.I) > L. luna,-ae (s.f.I), the moon; “from the flat rounded seed-vessel suggesting the full moon. Cruciferae” (Stearn 1996).
Moon, full-: luna,-ae (s.f.I) plena (adj.A). Moon, half-: luna dimidiata (adj.A).
Moon, crescent-; crescent moon-shaped: “the shape or figure defined by a convex and a concave edge” (WIII): lunatus,-a,-um (part..A), q.v.; lunulatus,-a,-um (adj.A), ‘shaped like a little moon;’ lunate, “of the shape of a half-moon or crescent” (Fernald 1950); ornamented with little crescents, crescent-shaped [> luna,-ae (s.f.I), the moon]; seleniformis,-e (adj.B), crescent- or moon-shaped; see crescent-shaped; cf. bicornis,-e (adj.B), two horned, a reference to the two-horned, crescent or new moon; see crescent-shaped, see sickle-shaped; cf. semicircular. novilunaris,-e (adj.B), q.v.: novilunar; relating to the new moon; with a narrow or thin crescent-shape, narrowly lunate. NOTE: see Moon, second note. NOTE: mEniskos (s.m.II), dim. of meis, the lunar crescent; any crescent-shaped body; in geometry, a crescent-shaped figure, a lune, used in finding areas (Liddell & Scott).
moon-shaped (crescent): see moon, crescent-.