demilune

See also: demi-lune

English

Alternative forms

• demi-lune, demi lune

Etymology

Borrowed from French demi-lune.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛmɪluːn/

Adjective

demilune (not comparable)

1. (architecture, furniture) In the shape of a half-moon, i.e. semicircular.
   • 2007 February 9, Wendy Moonan, “Relics of the 19th Century, in a Sentimental Mood”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     A handsome pair of tall, walnut-veneered Biedermeier bookcases from Austria, circa 1835, can be had from Iliad Antik of New York for $95,000, while Clinton Howell of New York has a rare pair of marquetry inlaid demilune consoles that he attributes to the workshop of John Linnell of England, circa 1755.

Noun

demilune (plural demilunes)

1. (military, architecture) A fortification constructed beyond the main ditch of a fortress, and in front of the curtain between two bastions, intended to defend the curtain; a ravelin.
2. (biology) A crescentic mass of granular protoplasm present in the salivary glands.

French

Noun

demilune f (plural demilunes)

1. Alternative form of demi-lune