of the period of time each month when the moon cannot be seen because it is in or near conjunction with the sun
Word origin
prob. < MFr interlunaire: see inter- & lunar
interlunar in American English
(ˌintərˈluːnər)
adjective
pertaining to the moon's monthly period of invisibility between the old moon and the new
Word origin
[1590–1600; inter- + lunar]This word is first recorded in the period 1590–1600. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: dummy, fixture, jolt, operator, squeezeinter- is a prefix occurring in loanwords from Latin, where it meant “between,” “among,”“in the midst of,” “mutually,” “reciprocally,” “together,” “during” (intercept; interest). On this model, inter- is used in the formation of compound words (intercom; interdepartmental)