Standard Lemma guide

lunule

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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  • /ˈluː.njuːl/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Anything crescent-shaped; a crescent-shaped part or mark; a lunula or lune.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • A healthy lunule is usually most prominent on the thumb and may be invisible on the pinky finger.
  • The architect incorporated a lunule design into the arched windows of the cathedral.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An area in front of the beak of many bivalve shells, sometimes shaped like a double crescent, but more often heart-shaped.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: half-moon, lunula

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: area, region

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French lunule, from Latin lūnula, diminutive of lūna (“moon”). By surface analysis, luna + -ule.