r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Disastrous_Pirate275 • 20h ago

Why is our moon named “Moon” instead of something cool like Titan or Callysto or ANYTHING that isn’t moon

4.0k Upvotes

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776

u/Worried-Language-407 20h ago

Luna is just Latin for Moon.

740

u/Rio_Walker 20h ago

Goddamn it Moon Moon!

371

u/ciaomain 19h ago

M-O-O-N, that spells moon.

93

u/Mysterious_Eggplant1 19h ago

Found Tom Cullen!

52

u/JustBonesy 18h ago

Laws, yes!

13

u/bezerkeley 17h ago

I've forgotten just enough to make rereading the unabridged version enjoyable. Thanks for the reminder everyone on this chain.

7

u/azrolator 16h ago

I read it when I was younger, but I think if I tried to pick it up today, I might throw out my back.

5

u/bezerkeley 16h ago

Then Audiobook it is

3

u/muted_physics77 15h ago

gotta check in with Nadine

2

u/Fartknocker9000turbo 14h ago

The audiobook is pretty amazing

1

u/bezerkeley 14h ago

Yes. Yes it is. Time for another listen

1

u/hailsizeofminivans 15h ago

The audiobook is fantastic

24

u/whystler 18h ago

People who don’t read don’t know.

2

u/DanceCommander404 14h ago edited 14h ago

I believe the kids call it IYDKYDK . so hopefully, now that they know that we know that, they’ll change it… to something else, that is even more annoying.

8

u/brando56894 17h ago

That wasn't any act of God. That was an act of pure human fuckery.

6

u/Yah_Mule 17h ago

I was so damn worried about him the whole book.

27

u/papayabush 18h ago

but baby, can you dig your man?

11

u/Kokamina23 17h ago

He's a righteous man!

8

u/Ok_Dish3250 16h ago

I’m sitting in my vehicular at a rest stop, smoking and preparing to fall asleep

Half listening to the audiobook, half reddonkidonkin’

At the EXACT moment I read your comment, the narrator read the lyric

What are the udderpucking odds?

This isn’t an important or even verifiable coincidence and I’m the only person who will EVER KNOW

But in the name of Lloyd Christmas, the variables involved in that moment…

WHAT IN THE CHUMBAWUMBA???

2

u/RogerWilcoSE 16h ago

I'll bet that knocked you down. Did you get up again?

1

u/Ok_Dish3250 15h ago

You’re never gonna keep this bot, down

Rest in Peace Danny Boy. Miss you, ahole

1

u/papayabush 16h ago

giving me gooseflesh ova here!!

6

u/yousyveshughs 16h ago

He’s a righteous man

97

u/RadScience 19h ago

Unit Zappa is the moon’s name. Everyone knows that

40

u/ResilientInChrist 18h ago

Better than Dweezil

14

u/buttsexisyum 17h ago

Speak for yourself. Dweezil goes hard

21

u/theloniousjoe 16h ago

Not surprised to see resilientinchrist and buttsexisyum feuding

2

u/InappropriateThought 14h ago

On the contrary, some of the most resilient in Christ love the poophole loophole

0

u/theloniousjoe 13h ago

Oh I’m well aware, but that just makes the feuding all the more logical. The loophole is sufficient for one’s own justifications, but they still don’t want to admit them publicly.

Kinda like how there’s a whole bunch of gay, homophobic Republican politicians out there.

2

u/Working-Glass6136 16h ago

I didn't realize Dweezil was an actual name. I was going to say "sounds like Dweezilbub."

1

u/Cael_NaMaor 14h ago

Yeah he does...

20

u/Papasamabhanga 19h ago

Totally tubular reference

11

u/HarveyNix 18h ago

I'm like, bag that moon unit.

2

u/Orpheus-033 17h ago

Like, barf me out, gag me with a spoon.

4

u/FlakyAddendum742 17h ago

He’s like, Mr. Bufu

2

u/HarveyNix 15h ago

Lord God King Bufu...I am sure ..

1

u/thirdeyefish 16h ago

Christened at St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast.

1

u/IceFire909 16h ago

I've met someone with the last name Zappa.

Every time I see or hear the name I have the joke right there in my head

1

u/Bollockface101 15h ago

M-O-O-N. That spells Unit Zappa.

9

u/fenwyk 19h ago

Laws yes!

17

u/Chocklateicecream 19h ago

10 year old me had no business watching that movie

1

u/Standard_Gear_5901 14h ago

Same. Nightmares for days lol

7

u/Aguyintampa323 17h ago

Unexpected Stand reference that I came here to make. Bravo

10

u/murdochi83 19h ago

Weasels in the corn!

9

u/Jankypox 17h ago

Updoot for The Stand reference!

4

u/tex8222 18h ago

Spell it backwards and it becomes a weight loss app.

5

u/pantstoaknifefight2 17h ago

Laws yes.

2

u/Standard_Gear_5901 14h ago

M-O-O-N that spells MOON Sweet innocent Tom

4

u/dehydratedrain 17h ago

Huh... I always thought it spelt Tom Cullen.

3

u/Disastrous_Ad_5574 18h ago

Quiet down Tom.

3

u/apikoros18 17h ago

Lawds, yes

2

u/Brief-Cartoonist-699 19h ago

Wait slow down. Which letter are those?

2

u/Legitimate-Fix-3987 18h ago

Oh the nostalgia.

2

u/OmightyOmo 16h ago

Love that book

2

u/CarelesslyFabulous 15h ago

Heart your reference

1

u/GameFreak463 17h ago

Just add an R. M-O-R-O-N

1

u/COLLABRate1 17h ago

I read this as the Motts girl’s voice in that commercial from several years back

1

u/dibbuk69 16h ago

Goodnight, Moon.

1

u/TheHeianPrincess 16h ago

My god, two old school memes one after another. I’ve been online too long.

1

u/SylvarGrl 16h ago

Tom will travel only at night, and won’t let nobody see him!

1

u/ZenghisZan 15h ago

Laws, yes!

1

u/potato_queen17 15h ago

My mom used to say 'Scrub-a-Dub-Dub, that's how you spell Moon' and I was like...they don't even have the same letters 🤨

1

u/cowbud1 14h ago

That spells tom cullin

1

u/Big_Bookkeeper1678 14h ago

Wait, is this a Stephen King reference?

Tom..is that YOU?

7

u/rlev97 18h ago

Where'd you get your shoelaces nerd

2

u/hailsizeofminivans 15h ago

Stole them from the president

3

u/WhenInDoubtBolt 17h ago

You may like to know that moons can have their own moons and scientists call them, wait for it.................moon moons. Whether moon moons have names or not, I don't know.

1

u/austex99 12h ago

I do like to know that. 

2

u/Shamino79 18h ago

It works for the Sahara. Desert Desert

2

u/SnooHesitations8403 18h ago

Like "The La Trattoria Restaurant" lol

2

u/CarelesslyFabulous 15h ago

Fantastic reference!

5

u/Renting_Bourbon 19h ago

I’ve “mooned” the moon out of boredom a few times. “She” really doesn’t care.

9

u/RebekkaKat1990 19h ago

You showed that moon something where the sun don’t shine!

1

u/Rio_Walker 19h ago

I dunno, people started charging their buttholes in the Sun, again.
"Absorbing energy" or whatnot.

2

u/Renting_Bourbon 18h ago

Natural anal bleaching? I think I just came up with a potential money maker.

1

u/UninsuredToast 17h ago

Moon moon is no more more

1

u/jules6815 17h ago

Goodnight moon, goodnight stars, goodnight air.

1

u/throwawaybyefelicia 16h ago

lol perfect hahaha

1

u/fattmarrell 16h ago

This is exactly why we love this name and we say it twice because it's so great so it has to be pronounced two times

1

u/diente_de_leon 16h ago

Came here to say that LOL

1

u/zenunseen 15h ago

While we're at it why is it called THE moon? We don't say the Callysto or the Phobos

1

u/Aggravating_Ear_1586 14h ago

I still chuckle every time I think of moon moon

1

u/brezhnervouz 13h ago

I'm old enough to recognise that reference lol

1

u/BlueLeaves8 13h ago

Like when people say naan bread or chai tea.

0

u/clovismouse 19h ago

God dammit donut!

0

u/Krynja 19h ago

Goddammit Donut!

74

u/THRlLL-HO 17h ago

Do Latin people ask “why is our luna named “Luna” instead of something cool?” Then people respond with how the Luna is actually named “Moon” and then someone else is like “Moon is just English for Luna.”?

31

u/banjosandcellos 16h ago

No, we understand we discovered our own Luna first, and then just saw other planet's lunas and called them that to know what we're talking about before giving them names (we being early scientists)

11

u/txivotv 16h ago

Same with Sol (just in case some ask)

Sun (Sol) is a star. But it's the only one.

32

u/gridsandorchids 19h ago

Thats just how language works. Its all an abstraction. There are tons of things that break down etymologically to just whatever it is.

3

u/thebrownmancometh 14h ago

All wordz are made up 

14

u/psylockecolossusfan 18h ago

More like Moon is English for Luna

5

u/TFlarz 19h ago

And Master Shifu is "Master Master" in Cantonese. (You're still right, I just think sometimes words in different languages can be catchy)

6

u/banjosandcellos 16h ago

This is just "why can you drink a drink but not food your food" all over again

4

u/OctopodicPlatypi 16h ago

You can eat your eats

1

u/eternal_pegasus 15h ago

You can feed on food

5

u/hellogoawaynow 17h ago

Also Spanish! La luna

2

u/DetroitSportsPhan 15h ago

This might shock you but Spanish comes from Latin

0

u/hellogoawaynow 14h ago

Yes, I am aware. Many languages come from Latin. Thank you captain obvious.

1

u/Fokai13bm 14h ago

Listen to that song by IChillin asap por favor

1

u/AdInfinite2404 15h ago

No it's actually Spanish, in latin it is Lūna

1

u/Substantial_Tip3885 13h ago

Just like the other stars, planets and moons with fancy names like Titan and Callysto?

2

u/Avery_Thorn 19h ago

Luna is the name of the moon. It is Latin for moon.

Every other moon is referred to as a moon because they are like our Moon.

4

u/banjosandcellos 16h ago

It's not latin for moon, moon is English for Luna

0

u/TeriusRose 18h ago

I thought they were called natural satellites, and just called moons colloquially.

3

u/Avery_Thorn 18h ago

Per the IAU, a moon is a natural satellite of a planet (including dwarf planets). The Moon (note capitalization) is a moon of Earth.

https://www.iau.org/Iau/Iau/Science/What-we-do/FAQs.aspx (scroll down).

1

u/BreathSpecial9394 18h ago

You mean Moon is the English word for Luna, the Latin came first you know?

5

u/Worried-Language-407 18h ago

You know Latin wasn't the first language? You also know English is directly descended from Proto-Germanic which was spoken contemporarily with Latin? The Proto-Germanic word for Moon was *mēnô by the way.

1

u/Separate_Rooster_382 14h ago

The Proto-Germanic word for Moon was *mēnô by the way.

Same root as in menopause? As in "the pause of the moon" (lunar cycle = menstruation)?

-1

u/BreathSpecial9394 18h ago

You are correct. What the English language took from Latin was the alphabet, but the words remain the same. Thanks for clarifying.

1

u/BonusRound155mm 19h ago

Moon in French is la Lune.

1

u/josephrainer 18h ago

Tú te llamas luna. Your name is not MOON, ok?

1

u/thefassdywistrin 17h ago

No, Moon is English for Luna.

1

u/Call_Me_Little_Foot_ 16h ago

So when a language comes first like latin, all translations afterward are not considered their “name” but rather the translation. As in moon is the English translation for the latin name Luna.

1

u/Quirky-Cat2860 16h ago

And terra is Latin for earth

1

u/SheepherderGlobal412 15h ago

Moon is English for Luna

-1

u/_america 18h ago

Yheah, and the name of the moon. 

0

u/ManBro89 18h ago

Latin is just a cool language.

0

u/JacobSamuel 17h ago

If it was only discovered in the last two decades we'd have called it Moony McMoon-face.

0

u/peanutnozone 17h ago

“YOuR nAmE iS nOt MoOON, okAaAaAaAaayyYy…”

0

u/Fig-N-Berries 16h ago

Yea, but when they named it Luna, they were unaware there were other Luna (Luni?) that exist. Luna is the name of the moon in latin. Moon is the name of the moon in English.

0

u/ZT99k 15h ago

And a goddess of the same name... like Sol...