n., pl., -nis·ci (-nĭs'ī, -kī, -kē), or -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.]
meniscal me·nis'cal (-kəl) or me·nis'cate' (-kăt') or me·nis'coid' (-koid') or men'is·coi'dal (mĕn'ĭs-koid'l) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
