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meniscus

American  
[mi-nis-kuhs] / mɪˈnɪs kəs /

noun

plural

menisci, meniscuses

  1. a crescent or a crescent-shaped body.

  2. the convex or concave upper surface of a column of liquid, the curvature of which is caused by surface tension.

  3. Optics. a lens with a crescent-shaped section; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens.

  4. Anatomy. a disk of cartilage between the articulating ends of the bones in a joint.

meniscus British  
/ mɪˈnɪskəs /

noun

  1. the curved upper surface of a liquid standing in a tube, produced by the surface tension

  2. a crescent or half-moon-shaped body or design

  3. a crescent-shaped fibrous cartilage between the bones at certain joints, esp at the knee

  4. a crescent-shaped lens; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
meniscus Scientific  
/ mə-nĭs′kəs /

plural

menisci

  1. A lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other.

  2. The curved upper surface of a column of liquid in a container. The surface is concave if the molecules of the liquid are attracted to the container walls and convex if they are not.

  3. See also surface tension

  4. A piece of cartilage shaped like a crescent and located at the junction of two bones in a joint. The meniscus acts to absorb shock.

Other Word Forms

  • meniscoid adjective

Etymology

Origin of meniscus

1685–95; < New Latin < Greek mēnískos crescent, diminutive of mḗnē moon

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

On Jan. 30, Vonn suffered a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, with meniscus and bone damage, when she crashed during a downhill race in Crans Montana, Switzerland.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

"But let's see how they respond, with no cartilage and no meniscus..."

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

She says along with the ACL tear she also has bruising and meniscus damage.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

She added that she had also suffered bone bruising and meniscus damage from her fall in a race which was abandoned early due to awful conditions which caused two other crashes.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

The tendon of the popliteus muscle intervenes between the lateral meniscus and the capsule.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.