meniscus

[mi-nis-kuh s]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR meniscus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural me·nis·ci [mi-nis-ahy, -nis-kahy, -kee] /mɪˈnɪs aɪ, -ˈnɪs kaɪ, -ki/, me·nis·cus·es.

a crescent or a crescent-shaped body.

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

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

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

Origin of meniscus

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

Related formsme·nis·coid

[mi-nis-koid] /mɪˈnɪs kɔɪd/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for meniscus

glass, trajectory, arc, arch, contour, loop, spectacles, contact, optic, monocle, curve, bow, sickle, half-moon, swerve, sweep, hairpin, crook, bend, whorl

Examples from the Web for meniscus

Historical Examples of meniscus

A meniscus, so called from its resembling the crescent moon.
Every Boy's Book: A Complete Encyclopdia of Sports and Amusements
Various
Sometimes, as in the Ornithorhynchus, the meniscus is absent.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 15, Slice 5
Various
In order to obtain an accurate result, the meniscus should be removed.
The Book of Cheese
Charles Thom and Walter Warner Fisk
With most instruments the reading is taken from the bottom of the meniscus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis
James Campbell Todd
The height of the meniscus is then read on a millimetre scale attached to the capillary.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications
Alexander Findlay

British Dictionary definitions for meniscus

meniscus

noun plural -nisci (-ˈnɪsaɪ) or -niscuses

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

a crescent or half-moon-shaped body or design

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

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

Derived Formsmeniscoid, adjective

Word Origin for meniscus

C17: from New Latin, from Greek mēniskos crescent, diminutive of mēnē moon

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

Word Origin and History for meniscus

"crescent-shaped body," 1690s in reference to lenses, c.1812 in reference to liquid surfaces, Modern Latin meniscus, from Greek meniskos "lunar crescent," diminutive of mene "moon" (see moon (n.)). Related: Meniscoid.

meniscus in Medicine

meniscus

[mə-nĭs′kəs]

n. pl. me•nis•cus•es

A crescent-shaped body.

A concavo-convex lens.

The curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a container that is concave if the liquid wets the walls and convex if it does not.

A disk of cartilage that acts as a cushion between the ends of bones in a joint.

Related formsme•nis′cal (-kəl) null null null adj.

meniscus in Science

meniscus

[mə-nĭs′kəs]

Plural menisci (mə-nĭs′ī, -kī, -kē) meniscuses

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

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. See also surface tension.

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.