meniscus









meniscus


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

  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.

noun plural -nisci (-ˈnɪsaɪ) or -niscuses

  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

n.“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. n. pl. me•nis•cus•es

  1. A crescent-shaped body.
  2. A concavo-convex lens.
  3. 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.
  4. A disk of cartilage that acts as a cushion between the ends of bones in a joint.

Plural menisci (mə-nĭsī, -kī, -kē) meniscuses

  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. See also surface tension.
  3. 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.
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