What (who) is lunate - definition
CRESCENT OR MOON-SHAPED MICROLITH
![Small lunates from Epipaleolithic site of Mar Dalan, [[Rawansar]] , Kermanshah, Zagros](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Mar Dalan-Rawansar-Kermanshah.jpg?width=200 "Small lunates from Epipaleolithic site of Mar Dalan, [[Rawansar]] , Kermanshah, Zagros")
lunate
a.; (also lunated)
(Bot.) Crescent-shaped, lunular.
Lunate
·adj ·Alt. of Lunated.
lunate
['lu:ne?t]
¦ adjective crescent-shaped.
¦ noun
1. Archaeology a crescent-shaped stone implement.
2. (also lunate bone) Anatomy a crescent-shaped carpal bone in the centre of the wrist.
Origin
C18: from L. lunatus, from luna 'moon'.
Wikipedia
Lunate
Lunate is a crescent or moon-shaped microlith. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking.
In the Natufian period, a lunate was a small crescent-shaped stone tool that was sometimes used to harvest grasses.
In archaeology a lunate is a small stone artifact, that has a sharpened straight edge and a blunt crescent shaped back. The word originates from the Latin word lunatus which means to bend like a crescent, and from luna meaning moon in Latin.
A lunate object can be typically used as a decorative piece or as a stone tool.
Pronunciation examples for lunate
1. with a lunate tail.
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