[ad. med.L. lūnātiōnem (whence F. lunaison, It. lunazione, Sp. lunacion, Pg. lunação), f. lūna moon: see -ATION.]
1. The time from one new moon to the next, constituting a lunar month (= 291/2 days).
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., IX. ix. (1495), 354. A monthe of the mone is also taken for a full lunacyon whyche duryth fro chaunge to chaunge.
c. 1400. Maundev. (1839), xxx. 301. And there is not the Mone seyn in alle the Lunacioun.
1653. Shakerley, Tabulæ Britan. [117]. A Table of the mean Lunations.
1664. Power, Exp. Philos., Pref. 4. Lunations of the inferiour Planets.
1690. Leybourn, Curs. Math., 466. The Arabians … having respect to the Moon form their Year of 12 Synodical Lunations.
1712. Steele, Spect., No. 545, ¶ 13. The 8th day of the third lunation, and the 4th year of our reign.
1812. Woodhouse, Astron., xxx. 295. From the inequality of the Moon’s motion, this synodic period, or lunation, is not always of the same length.
1893. Sir R. Ball, Story of Sun, 132. Nineteen years is almost exactly equal to two hundred and thirty five lunations.
† 2. The time of full moon. Obs.
c. 1549. in Froude, Hist. Eng. (1881), IV. 405. They … intend at this or next lunation to conjure for treasure hid between Newbury and Reading.
1686. Goad, Celest. Bodies, I. vi. 19. The Exuberance of the Tides at or neer the Æquinoctial Lunations.
3. A menstruation. rare.
1822–34. Good’s Study Med. (ed. 4), IV. 46. A tendency to keep up that periodical habit of depletion, which will probably prove advantageous against the ensuing lunations.
