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Glite Dictionary
🌙 Crescent shape 🪑 Half-moon table
demilune

demilune

9.9
A shape like a half moon seen in the body or buildings
  • noun
  • /ˌdɛmɪˈluːn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : demiluna
  • An understated bronze plaque displayed discreetly beneath a demilune portico says so, but doesn't elaborate.

Examples

  • In the surgery room, the doctor pointed to the demilune structure of the patient’s heart, which was critical for the procedure.

  • The architect designed a stunning demilune window that beautifully framed the garden view.

  • The ancient temple featured a demilune alcove that housed a statue of the deity.

Synonyms

lune
vsdemilune
1 9.9

A thin curved shape like the moon's crescent

is used mainly for curved architectural or anatomical forms
crescent
vsdemilune
1 3.9

Shaped like a curved moon, wide in the middle and pointed at both ends

is applied to curved forms mainly in architecture or anatomy

Surface Forms

demilune singular
demilunes plural

Morphology

demilune = lune (semi-transparent) = demi + lune

The prefix 'demi-' clearly means 'half', but 'lune' is a rare/borrowed English noun (from French), so the compound is only partly obvious to average learners.

Etymology

Demilune comes from the parts demi- meaning 'half' and lune meaning 'moon', so it literally says 'half-moon'. That's why demilune is used for a crescent or half-moon shape in anatomy or architecture, like a curved group of cells or a half-moon window.