Lunates

Lunates is the plural form of lunate, a term used in multiple disciplines to describe crescent-shaped objects or, in anatomy, a specific wrist bone. The word derives from Latin lunatus, meaning moon-shaped.

In anatomy, the lunate bone (os lunatum) is one of the eight carpal bones in the human wrist. Each wrist contains a lunate bone, typically positioned in the central row and articulating with adjacent bones such as the radius, scaphoid, triquetrum, capitate, and hamate. The lunate can be involved in injuries and conditions, including lunate dislocation and Kienböck disease, which affect wrist stability and motion.

In archaeology and jewelry, lunates refer to crescent-shaped beads, pendants, or seals. These crescent forms appear in various cultures and periods, and they may be made from metal, stone, bone, or shell. Lunates were often used as amulets, decorative elements, or status symbols, with the shape frequently carrying symbolic associations related to the moon or fertility in different traditions.

Other uses of the term may appear in descriptive contexts, where objects or features resemble a crescent in form. The plural lunates is therefore used whenever multiple crescent-shaped items or multiple lunate bones are being described.

See also: Lunate bone, os lunatum, crescent shape, lunar symbolism.