Hunter's Moon

Gorgeous full moon this week- so bright it was like having a light on in the yard. The weather people referred to it as a "hunter's moon". One sure could tromp through the countryside without the need of a flashlight.

I wasn't sure where the phrase came from- I looked in the Oxford English Dictionary (available on-line through GALILEO ):

"hunter's moon, a name for the full moon next after the HARVEST MOON (q.v.)."
"1710 Brit. Apollo III. No. 70. 2/1 The Country People call this the *Hunters-Moon. 1854 TOMLINSON Arago's Astron. 171 There can, therefore, be but two full moons in the year which rise during a week almost at the same time as the sun sets; the former, occurring in September, is called the Harvest-Moon; and the latter, in the month of October, being in a similar predicament, is termed the Hunter's Moon."

"The Oxford English Dictionary is the accepted authority on the evolution of the English language over the last millennium." The OED gives definitions, etymological analysis, and quotations to demonstrate the use of words in the English language over time. The web-based version of the OED include all information contained in the print counterpart plus at least 1,000 new and revised entries each quarter.
The publisher, Oxford University Press, provides extensive information about the dictionary and its use on their web side.

The password for home use of GALILEO is available to the citizens of Georgia from your librarian. Some resources noted in this BLOG are only available to NMTC patrons.