cruciate ligament

noun

: either of two ligaments in the knee joint which cross each other from femur to tibia

especially : anterior cruciate ligament

Examples of cruciate ligament in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Tetley, an 8-year-old beagle mix from Lancashire, U.K., is struggling to walk after rupturing both cranial cruciate ligaments (CCL), and developing arthritis in her hind legs. —Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 2025

Two collateral ligaments run along the outside, while the two cruciate ligaments—including the ACL in front and the posterior cruciate ligament, or PCL, in back—crisscross diagonally to hold things together from the inside of the joint. —Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 31 July 2025

But a complete tear of either cruciate ligament could be crucial and mean that your knee joint goes a rocking in bad way. —Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025

Last season, deGrom pitched in three games during the 2024 season after missing the majority of the year recovering from surgery to repair a torn ulterior cruciate ligament. —Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1934, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

cruciate ligament

noun

: any of several more or less cross-shaped ligaments: as

a

: either of two ligaments in the knee joint which cross each other from femur to tibia:

(1)

: anterior cruciate ligament

(2)

: posterior cruciate ligament

b

: a complex ligament made up of the transverse ligament of the atlas and vertical fibrocartilage extending from the dens to the border of the foramen magnum