meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈni-skəs How to pronounce meniscus (audio)
plural menisci mə-ˈni-ˌskī How to pronounce meniscus (audio)
-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

Examples of meniscus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But in his quarterfinal match at Ball Arena, Aidan tore the meniscus in his right knee, forcing him to forfeit the semifinal match and consolation round. Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024 Other Suns on the injury report are backup big Bol Bol (foot) out for his seventh consecutive absence, and Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery), who's been out all season. Dana Scott, The Arizona Republic, 27 Jan. 2024 Star guard Azzi Fudd tears her right ACL and medial meniscus shooting a layup in practice two days before the Huskies face then-No. 20 Maryland. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2024 Ramsey was named to the Pro Bowl after returning from a meniscus injury that sidelined him for the first seven games of the season. Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 Arik Armstead’s Year 9 was hindered by a foot issue (plantar fasciitis) and a November knee injury (meniscus tear). Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024 Even before his latest injury – a meniscus issue in his left knee sustained Tuesday against Golden State – Embiid was headed for a potential season with less than 65 games played. Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Firstly, his production is currently the best in the league outside of Joel Embiid, who got his season cut short due to a meniscus injury and is thus ineligible for the MVP award. Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 All these point to a more serious problem, such as a torn meniscus or ligament, which need medical treatment. Cindy Kuzma, SELF, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meniscus.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1685, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of meniscus was in 1685

Dictionary Entries Near meniscus

Cite this Entry

“Meniscus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meniscus. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

meniscus

noun
me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs How to pronounce meniscus (audio)
plural menisci -ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī How to pronounce meniscus (audio)
-ˌkē
also meniscuses
: the curved upper surface of a liquid column

Medical Definition

meniscus

noun
me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs How to pronounce meniscus (audio)
plural menisci -ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī, -ˌkē How to pronounce meniscus (audio) 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

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