amor
n. countablen. a dark area on the surface of the moon or a planet. These areas were once thought to be seas, but they are actually flat plains made of old lava.
n. a large, dark, basaltic plain on the surface of the moon or other planetary bodies, formed by ancient volcanic eruptions. Derived from the Latin word for 'sea', though these features contain no water.
The telescope shows a large dark amor on the moon.
Early astronomers named the dark lunar plains 'amor' because they mistakenly believed the moon had vast oceans like Earth.
While the lunar highlands are rugged and cratered, each amor represents a smoother expanse where lava flows once filled deep impact basins during the moon's early geological history.
From the type object, 1221 Amor, itself from Latin Amor, the god of love.
Borrowed from Spanish and Portuguese Amor. This surname was introduced in England by the Normans.
The plural form is 'maria'. Often used as a proper noun when naming specific regions, such as Mare Tranquillitatis.