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lu·nu·la

(lnyə-lə)

n. pl. lu·nu·lae (-lē′)

A small crescent-shaped structure or marking, especially the white area at the base of a fingernail that resembles a half-moon.

[New Latin lūnula, from Latin, crescent-shaped ornament, diminutive of lūna, moon; see leuk- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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