meniscus - Definitions from Dictionary.com

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Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

me·nis·cus

Audio Help [mi-nis-kuh

s] Pronunciation Key

–noun, plural -nis·ci

Audio Help [-nis-ahy, -nis-kahy, -kee] Pronunciation Key, -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.

[Origin: 1685–95; < NL < Gk ménískos crescent, dim. of mné moon

]

—Related forms

me·nis·coid

Audio Help [mi-nis-koid] Pronunciation Key, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

me·nis·cus Audio Help (mə-nĭs'kəs) Pronunciation Key

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n. pl. me·nis·ci (-nĭs'ī, -kī, -kē) or me·nis·cus·es

A crescent-shaped body.
A concavo-convex lens.
The curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a container that is concave if the liquid wets the container walls and convex if it does not.
A cartilage disk that acts as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet in a joint.

[New Latin, from Greek mēniskos, diminutive of mēnē, moon, month; see mē-² in Indo-European roots.]

me·nis'cal (-kəl), me·nis'cate' (-kāt'), me·nis'coid' (-koid'), men'is·coi'dal (měn'ĭs-koid'l) adj.

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
meniscus

"crescent-shaped body," 1693 in ref. to lenses, c.1812 in ref. to liquid surfaces, Mod.L. meniscus, from Gk. meniskos "lunar crescent," dim. of mene "moon."

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

meniscus
noun
1.	(anatomy) a disk of cartilage that serves as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet at a joint
2.	(optics) a lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other
3.	(physics) the curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a vertical tube

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

meniscus Audio Help (mə-nĭs'kəs) Pronunciation Key

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Plural menisci (mə-nĭs'ī, -kī, -kē) or meniscuses

A lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other.
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.
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.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Meniscus

Con*vex"o-con"cave\ (?or ?), a. Convex on one side, and concave on the other. The curves of the convex and concave sides may be alike or may be different. See Meniscus.

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