meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈni-skəs 

plural menisci mə-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

Examples of meniscus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s one of the questions facing team President Jed Hoyer after Matthew Boyd’s left meniscus surgery, which followed the season-ending loss of Cade Horton and Justin Steele’s setback in his return from last year’s revision repair surgery on his left elbow. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026

The star has dealt with numerous injuries and illnesses over the years, including meniscus issues, multiple orbital bone fractures, Bell's palsy and more. —Laura Fay, CBS News, 6 May 2026

Debinha out long-term with a knee injury Armas told reporters Tuesday that star forward Debinha will miss time with a meniscus injury. —Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 6 May 2026

Embiid looked to narrowly avoid another ailment in the final minutes of Saturday’s Game 7 against the Celtics when co-star Tyrese Maxey fell backwards onto the big’s knee, the same one that underwent meniscus surgery in 2024. —Fiifi Frimpong, New York Daily News, 4 May 2026

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

Rhymes for meniscus

• hibiscus
• discus
• viscous
• viscus

Kids Definition

meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs 

plural menisci -ˈnis-ˌ(k)ī 

-ˌkē

also meniscuses

: the curved upper surface of a liquid column

Medical Definition

meniscus

noun

me·​nis·​cus mə-ˈnis-kəs 

plural menisci -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