meniscus
Americannoun
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a crescent or a crescent-shaped body.
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the convex or concave upper surface of a column of liquid, the curvature of which is caused by surface tension.
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Optics. a lens with a crescent-shaped section; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens.
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Anatomy. a disk of cartilage between the articulating ends of the bones in a joint.
noun
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the curved upper surface of a liquid standing in a tube, produced by the surface tension
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a crescent or half-moon-shaped body or design
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a crescent-shaped fibrous cartilage between the bones at certain joints, esp at the knee
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a crescent-shaped lens; a concavo-convex or convexo-concave lens
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A lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other.
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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.
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See also surface tension
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of meniscus
1685–95; < New Latin < Greek mēnískos crescent, diminutive of mḗnē moon
Explanation
The next time you pour some fluid into a tube, look at it from the side. You will see the liquid has a slight curve, either up or down. This curved surface, created by air pressure, is called a meniscus. The Greeks had a word for the lunar crescent, mēniskos, which itself came from the word for the moon, mḗnē. In the late 17th Century, the word meniscus was given to similarly-curved lenses. Then in 1812, the curved surfaces of liquid were referred to by this word as well. Later, the name was also applied to a crescent-shaped cartilage at the knee, between the tibia and the femur. These small, semi-lunar bits are important for reducing friction during leg movement.
Vocabulary lists containing meniscus
Pelé
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Chemistry - High School
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Chemistry - Middle School
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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.
See Examples For:
It soon emerged that he had a torn meniscus that threatened his chances of reaching the Milan Cortina Games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
A major study with a 10-year follow-up has found that trimming a damaged meniscus does not improve symptoms or knee function when compared to a placebo procedure.
From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026
"But let's see how they respond, with no cartilage and no meniscus..."
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2026
After the season, he underwent an operation to repair a damaged meniscus in his left knee.
From Barron's ● Jan. 1, 2026
F is called a meniscus, or concavo-convex, being concave on one, and convex on the other side.
From Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained by Jones, Thomas P.
With more research, company executives said, the technology could be used to make many other replacement body parts, including spinal discs, noses, knee menisci, rotator cuffs and reconstructive tissue for lumpectomies.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2022
Your patient, who’s having double knee surgery for two torn menisci and two Baker’s cysts.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 27, 2019
While both menisci are free to move during knee motions, the medial meniscus shows less movement because it is anchored at its outer margin to the articular capsule and tibial collateral ligament.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013
Too much twisting in the knee can tear the menisci, pads of cartilage tucked inside the knee socket.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 16, 2012
In addition to the usual provision for articulation of bones there are situated cartilaginous menisci between the condyles of the femur and the head of the tibia.
From Lameness of the Horse Veterinary Practitioners' Series, No. 1 by Lacroix, John Victor
Though the 31-year-old’s injury wasn’t as severe as Young’s, the tight end still tore his ACL, MCL and both meniscuses after taking a hit from then Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher Yannick Ngakoue.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 26, 2022
The Kings are down to their top two AHL goalies after Jack Campbell joined Jonathan Quick on injured reserve this week with torn meniscuses in their knees.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 14, 2018
The re-tear rate for repaired meniscuses is 25 percent, according to one surgical expert.
From Chicago Tribune ● Nov. 26, 2013
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.
