moon
verbEtymology
From Middle English mon, mona, mone, monæ, moone, moyn, moyne, from Old English mōna (“moon”), from Proto-West Germanic *mānō, from Proto-Germanic *mēnô (“moon”), from Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s (“moon; month”), probably from *meh₁- (“to measure”). Cognates Cognate with Scots muin, mune (“moon”), Yola mona, moone (“moon”), North Frisian moune, muun (“moon”), Saterland Frisian Moune (“moon”), West Frisian moanne (“moon”), Alemannic German Maan, manä, manòd, mànund, meini, moanu, Mond (“moon”), Bavarian mone (“moon”), Central Franconian Mond (“moon”), Cimbrian ma, maano, må (“moon”), Dutch maan, maen (“moon”), German Mond (“moon”), Limburgish maon, maond, moan, mond, Moën, Mǫnt, Mǫe̩nt, Mǫǫnt (“moon”), Luxembourgish Mound (“moon”), Mòcheno mu' (“moon”), Vilamovian mönd, mönt (“moon”), West Flemish moane (“moon”), Yiddish מאָנט (mont, “moon”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish måne (“moon”), Faroese and Icelandic máni (“moon”), Norn måni (“moon”), Crimean Gothic mine (“moon”), Gothic 𐌼𐌴𐌽𐌰 (mēna, “the Moon”); also Cornish and Welsh mis (“month”), Irish mí (“month”), Manx mee (“month”), Scottish Gaelic mìos (“moon; month”), Latin mēnsis (“month”), Umbrian 𐌌𐌄𐌍𐌆𐌍𐌄 (menzne, “Moon”), Greek μήνας (mínas, “month”), Albanian muaj (“month”), Latvian mēnesis (“month”), mēness (“moon”), Lithuanian mėnuo (“moon; month”), Belarusian and Russian ме́сяц (mésjac, “moon; month”), Bulgarian and Macedonian ме́сец (mésec, “moon; month”), Czech měsíc (“moon; month”), Polish miesiąc, mięsiąc, mniesiąc, niesiąc (“moon; month”), Serbo-Croatian ме̏се̄ц, мје̏се̄ц, mȅsēc, mjȅsēc (“moon; month”), Slovak mesiac (“moon; month”), Slovene mesec (“moon; month”), Ukrainian мі́сяць (mísjacʹ, “moon; month”), Armenian ամիս (amis, “month”), Avestan 𐬨𐬃𐬢𐬵 (mā̊ŋh, “month”), 𐬨𐬂𐬢𐬵𐬀 (måŋha, “moon”), Bactrian μαο (mao), μαυο (mauo, “month”), Central Kurdish and Southern Kurdish مانگ (mang, “moon; month”), Northern Kurdish meh (“month”), Ossetian мӕй (mæj, “moon; month”), Pashto مياشت (myâšt, “month”), Persian مه (mah), ماه (māh / mâh, “moon; month”), Tajik моҳ (moh, “moon; month”), Tocharian A mañ (“moon; month”), Tocharian B meñe (“moon; month”), Sanskrit मस् (mas), मास् (mās, “moon; month”). See also month, a related term within Indo-European. The usage of "moon" to refer to the act reflected its use as a metaphor for the buttocks since 1743. It was popularised from American student slang in the 1960s.
8 senses
- 1To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest…
- 2To gaze at lovingly or in adoration.
- 3(usually followed by over or after) To fuss over…
- 4To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.
- 5To expose to the rays of the Moon.
- 6To adorn with moons or crescents.
- 7To rise in price rapidly or suddenly. (from to the moon)
- 8To shoot the moon.
Colloquial To display one's buttocks to, typically as a jest, insult, or protest.
- The hooligans mooned the riot police.
- It was ill-advised of Sam to moon the photographer during the shoot.
Colloquial To gaze at lovingly or in adoration.
- Bradly stood bewitched, mooning at the moon. Betimes he bent in a grotesque posture and looked at it between his legs, which was to rid his mind of preconceived colour values by seeing them upside down.1938, Norman Lindsay, Age of Consent, 1st Australian edition, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1962, →OCLC, page 164:
- To completely back down now would be as unnatural as mooning in front of your girlfriend's parents.2009, Tim Thornton, The Alternative Hero, Random House, →ISBN, page 9:
Colloquial (usually followed by over or after) To fuss over something adoringly; to be infatuated with someone.
- Sarah mooned over Sam's photograph for months.
- You've been mooning after her forever; why not just ask her out?
1 more example
- On some level, the filmmakers behind Monster Trucks must have recognized the ill fit of Till playing a teenager, because they cast Jane Levy, a 27-year-old who can pass for younger but not a decade younger, as Meredith, a nerdy classmate of Tripp’s who moons over him as she insists on making an appointment to tutor him in biology.2017 January 12, Jesse Hassenger, “A literal monster truck is far from the stupidest thing about Monster Trucks”, in The Onion AV Club:
To spend time idly, absent-mindedly.
- We were only three on board. The poor old skipper mooned in the cabin.1898, Joseph Conrad, Youth:
- I mooned around. I was mighty sick of the room by then.2001, Stephen King, The Death of Jack Hamilton:
To expose to the rays of the Moon.
To adorn with moons or crescents.
Business, Cryptocurrencies, Cryptocurrency, Finance Of a coin or token To rise in price rapidly or suddenly. (from to the moon)
- It is impractical if a currency moons and plummets often.
- I've followed several of the most popular crypto pundits on Twitter and discovered they constantly brag about their one big Hail Mary pick that mooned but neglect to mention – or delete – their numerous fumbles.2019, Mark Grabowski, Cryptocurrencies: A Primer on Digital Money, Routledge, →ISBN:
1 more example
- “It was like nothing I ever saw. Just complete murder and carnage.” “Everything seemed calm at first but then this guy in a suit shows up talking about investment opportunities. Next thing you know these people over here started chanting, "Hoddle, Hoddle," and their NFTs started mooning. And then, these guys over here started saying those guys right there right-clicked 'em and-and called for a pump-and-dump, which made these guys beat the living hell out of anyone who said it was just FOMO and died screaming that is was the flippening. Luckily I came out of it ok. I got this little miniature donkey with a lit-up sombrero.” “Did you see where the guy in the suit went afterwards?” “Nah, he just waltzed right away like nothin' happened.” “Chief, you better come take a look at this. We got a small turtle with wings, could be a great investment opportunity.” “Excuse me, gentlemen.”2021 December 16, Trey Parker, “South Park: Post COVID: The Return of COVID” (29:23 from the start), in South Park, spoken by Fire Chief (Trey Parker):
Card games, Games To shoot the moon.