meniscus

noun me·nis·cus \ mə-ˈnis-kəs \

Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of meniscus

plural menisci play \-ˈni-ˌskī, -ˌskē, -ˌsī\ also meniscuses

1 : a crescent or crescent-shaped body

2 : a concavo-convex lens

3 : the curved upper surface of a column of liquid

4 : a fibrous cartilage within a joint especially of the knee

See meniscus defined for kids

Recent Examples of meniscus from the Web

The four-time All-Star tore his meniscus in their second matchup on Feb. 23, then missed the final two meetings before returning on Friday.

— sam amick, USA TODAY, "2018 NBA playoff previews: Matchups, series outlooks," 12 Apr. 2018
Prado had surgery to repair meniscus in his right knee on July 28 and has been dealing with a strain of his left hamstring since spring training.

— craig davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Martin Prado back in Marlins' lineup; Wei-Yin Chen could start Saturday," 27 Apr. 2018
Franch is dealing with a meniscus tear in her knee and will undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair the problem.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Adrianna Franch, Hayley Raso among Portland Thorns out with injuries," 26 Apr. 2018
Kings guard Bogdan Bogdanovic will have surgery to repair a slight tear of the medial meniscus in his left knee Tuesday, the team announced.

— jason jones, sacbee, "Kings' Bogdan Bogdanovic set to have knee surgery in New York | The Sacramento Bee," 24 Apr. 2018
Then, in 2017, Kim tore her ACL and her meniscus on stage.

— sophie cannon, BostonGlobe.com, "For the band Matt and Kim, ‘this is what it takes for our lives to feel complete’," 24 Apr. 2018
Jeff Teague led all scorers with 25 points, while Jimmy Butler, who played for the first time since missing 17 games with a meniscus injury, scored 18 points.

— tania ganguli, latimes.com, "Kyle Kuzma's ankle doesn't hold up in Lakers' loss to Timberwolves 113-96," 7 Apr. 2018
Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy had surgery recently for a meniscus injury in his knee.

— creg stephenson, AL.com, "AL.com All-Access: Are all these Alabama, Auburn injuries ruining your appetite for spring practice?," 3 Apr. 2018
When Gardner tried to return from that injury last summer, he was derailed — forced to undergo surgery on his right meniscus.

— nate weitzer, BostonGlobe.com, "Gardner has made a healthy return for Xaverian lacrosse," 16 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'meniscus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of meniscus

New Latin, from Greek mēniskos, from diminutive of mēnē moon, crescent — more at moon

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1685

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Chemical Engineering Terms

alkali, cation, decant, hygroscopic, isotope, oxidize, slurry, solute, viscous

Medical Dictionary

meniscus

noun me·nis·cus \ mə-ˈnis-kəs \

medical Definition of meniscus

plural menisci play \-ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī, -ˌkē\ also meniscuses

1 : a crescent or crescent-shaped body

2 : a fibrous cartilage within a joint:

a : either of two crescent-shaped lamellae of fibrocartilage that border and partly cover the articulating surfaces of the tibia and femur at the knee : semilunar cartilage:

(1) : one mostly between the lateral condyles of the tibia and femur — called also external semilunar fibrocartilage, lateral meniscus, lateral semilunar cartilage

(2) : one mostly between the medial condyles of the tibia and femur — called also internal semilunar fibrocartilage, medial meniscus, medial semilunar cartilage

b : a thin oval ligament of the temporomandibular joint that is situated between the condyle of the mandible and the mandibular fossa and separates the joint into two cavities

3 : a concavo-convex lens

4 : the curved upper surface of a liquid column that is concave when the containing walls are wetted by the liquid and convex when not