moon
n.the large, round object that circles the Earth and shines in the sky at night. It changes shape throughout the month as it reflects light from the sun.
n.the natural satellite of the Earth, visible by reflection of sunlight. When capitalised, it refers specifically to Earth's satellite; when lowercase, it can refer to any natural satellite orbiting a planet.
“The moon looks very bright tonight.”
“Ancient sailors used the position of the moon and stars to navigate across the open ocean at night.”
“The gravitational pull of the moon is the primary force driving the ebb and flow of the Earth's tides, a cycle that has shaped coastal ecosystems for millions of years.”
Usually used with the definite article 'the'. Capitalised as 'the Moon' in astronomical contexts to distinguish it from the moons of other planets.
As a unique celestial body, it almost always requires the definite article 'the'.
Usage moon passes
From Middle English Mone, mone, from Old English mōna, from Proto-West Germanic mānō, from Proto-Germanic mēnô, from Proto-Indo-European mḗh₁n̥s (“moon, month”), from meh₁- (“to measure”). Doublet of Máni.
* A variant of Mohan, from Irish. * A habitational name of Norman origin from Moyon in La Manche. Compare Mounce. * Americanized form of German Mohn or a similar surname. * A variant of Mun, from Korean. * A variant Romanization of Chinese 文 (Wén), 萬 /万 (Wàn), and 滿 /满 (Mǎn). * Possibly from Cantonese 滿 /满 (mun⁵, “full; complete”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.