meniscus en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *meh₁-? Proto-Indo-European *mḗh₁n̥s Proto-Hellenic *méns Ancient Greek μείς (meís) Proto-Indo-European *-iskos Ancient Greek -ῐ́σκος (-ĭ́skos) Ancient Greek μηνῐ́σκος (mēnĭ́skos) English meniscus From Ancient Greek μηνίσκος (mēnískos, “crescent”), from μήνη (mḗnē, “moon”). Piecewise doublet of moonish.
Meanings
-
A crescent moon, or an object shaped like it.
And from Crabbe's own forehead sweat dripped or gathered into a kind of meniscus to be scooped off.
1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 554:He opened wide both casements; they gave on a parking place four floors below; the thin meniscus overhead was too wan to illumine the roofs of the houses descending toward the invisible lake [...].
1972, Vladimir Nabokov, Transparent Things, McGraw-Hill, published 1972, page 19:
- A lens which is convex on one side and concave on the other, being crescent-shaped in cross-section.
- The curved surface of liquids in tubes, whether concave or convex, caused by the surface tension of the liquid.
- Either of two parts of the human knee that provide structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| menisci | Number=Plur | lexicographic | |
| meniscuses | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
meniscectomy · meniscal · meniscoid · meniscotomy · menisco- · meniscus midge
Relateds
Translations (40)
bg мени́скус (the curved surface of liquids) · fi puolikuu (a crescent) · uk мені́ск (the curved surface of liquids) · ga meinisceas (the curved surface of liquids) · de Meniskus (either of two parts of the human knee) · ru мени́ск (either of two parts of the human knee) · fi kaareva pinta (the curved surface of liquids) · ru мени́ск (the curved surface of liquids) · mi mata kōpapa (the curved surface of liquids) · es menisco (the curved surface of liquids) · fi nivelkierukka (either of two parts of the human knee) · cmn 彎月面 /弯月面 (the curved surface of liquids) · uk мені́ск (either of two parts of the human knee) · pl menisk (the curved surface of liquids) · ca menisc (the curved surface of liquids) · ko 반달연골 (either of two parts of the human knee) · fr ménisque (the curved surface of liquids) · ru мени́ск (a crescent) · pt menisco (the curved surface of liquids) · it menisco (the curved surface of liquids) · ar هِلَالَة (either of two parts of the human knee) · lv menisks (either of two parts of the human knee) · es menisco (either of two parts of the human knee) · lv menisks (the curved surface of liquids) · bg мени́скус (either of two parts of the human knee) · it menisco (either of two parts of the human knee) · ja 半月板 (either of two parts of the human knee) · sv menisk (either of two parts of the human knee) · pl łękotka (either of two parts of the human knee) · fr ménisque (either of two parts of the human knee) · de Meniskus (the curved surface of liquids) · fa خمودگی سطح مایع (the curved surface of liquids) · cmn 半月板 (either of two parts of the human knee) · fi meniski (the curved surface of liquids) · fr ménisque (a crescent) · cs meniskus (either of two parts of the human knee) · ca menisc (either of two parts of the human knee) · pt menisco (either of two parts of the human knee) · tr menisküs (either of two parts of the human knee) · be мені́ск (either of two parts of the human knee)