Names and etymology

See also: Moon §  Mythology and art

The usual English proper name for Earth's natural satellite is simply Moon, with a capital M.[18][19] The
noun moon is derived from Old English mōna, which (like all its Germanic cognates) stems from Proto-
Germanic *mēnōn,[20] which in turn comes from Proto-Indo-European *mēnsis "month"[21] (from
earlier *mēnōt, genitive *mēneses) which may be related to the verb "measure" (of time). [22]
Occasionally, the name Luna /ˈluːnə/ is used in scientific writing[23] and especially in science fiction to
distinguish the Earth's moon from others, while in poetry "Luna" has been used to denote personification
of the Moon.[24] Cynthia /ˈsɪnθiə/ is another poetic name, though rare, for the Moon personified as a
goddess,[25] while Selene /səˈliːniː/ (literally "Moon") is the Greek goddess of the Moon.
The usual English adjective pertaining to the Moon is "lunar", derived from the Latin word for the
Moon, lūna. The adjective selenian /səliːniən/,[26] derived from the Greek word for the
Moon, σελήνη selēnē, and used to describe the Moon as a world rather than as an object in the sky, is
rare,[27] while its cognate selenic was originally a rare synonym[28] but now nearly always refers to the
chemical element selenium.[29] The Greek word for the Moon does however provide us with the
prefix seleno-, as in selenography, the study of the physical features of the Moon, as well as the
element name selenium.[30][31]
The Greek goddess of the wilderness and the hunt, Artemis, equated with the Roman Diana, one of
whose symbols was the Moon and who was often regarded as the goddess of the Moon, was also
called Cynthia, from her legendary birthplace on Mount Cynthus.[32] These names – Luna, Cynthia and
Selene – are reflected in technical terms for lunar orbits such
as apolune, pericynthion and selenocentric.

The astronomical symbol for the Moon is a crescent,  , for example in M☾ 'lunar