lunars

Noun

lunar (plural lunars)

1. The middle bone of the proximal series of the carpus in the wrist, which is shaped like a half-moon.
   • The carpal bones are usually described as being capable of being luxated from the lower end of the radius forwards or backwards, inwards or outwards. The case backwards, which has been stated to be the most frequent, is facilitated by the direction of the convex articular surfaces of the scaphoid...[1838, Samuel Cooper, “DISLOCATION”, in A Dictionary of Practical Surgery: Comprehending All the Most Interesting Improvements, from the Earliest Times down to the Present Period; […], 7th edition...

   Synonyms:

   intermedium, lunar bone, semilunar

2. (navigation) An observation of a lunar distance (“the angle between the Moon and another celestial body”), especially for establishing the longitude of a ship at sea.
   • [Y]oung beginners cannot be too often cautioned that a single lunar is of little or no value until the observer knows the usual difference between his lunars taken on opposite sides of the moon; and these should be taken with the same instrument, using the same screens and telescope, for he must...1859 October, Henry Toynbee, “A Few More Words on Lunars”, in The Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle: A Journal of Papers on Subjects Connected with Maritime Affairs, volume XXVIII, number 10...

See all 8 meanings of lunar