Lunule

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Lunule \Lu"nule\, n. [F., fr. L. lunula, dim. of luna moon.]
     1. (Anat.) Anything crescent-shaped; a crescent-shaped part
        or mark; a lunula; a lune.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (Chem.) A lune. See {Lune}.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Zool.)
        (a) A small or narrow crescent.
        (b) A special area in front of the beak of many bivalve
            shells. It sometimes has the shape of a double
            crescent, but is oftener heart-shaped. See Illust. of
            {Bivalve}.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  lunule
       n : the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail
           [syn: {half-moon}, {lunula}]