meniscus

meniscus Definition

me·nis·cus (mə nis′kəs)

noun pl. -·cuses or -·ci′-ī′

a crescent or crescent-shaped thing
a lens convex on one side and concave on the other
fibrous cartilage within a joint, esp. of the knee
Physics the curved upper surface of a column of liquid: as a result of capillarity it is concave when the walls of the container strongly attract the liquid, as is the case with water, and it is convex when the liquid is more strongly attracted to itself, as is the case with mercury

Etymology: ModL < Gr mēniskos, dim. of mēnē, the moon

meniscus Usage Examples

Converse of object

tear: Torque may also tear the meniscus in the absence of a cruciate tear.
form: We observed the surface forming a meniscus above the edge of the casting.
have: I don't know how much extra damage I did in the meantime, but I did have to have some meniscus trimmed away.
call: The outer or external meniscus is called the lateral meniscus.
remove: The small tools are used to remove menisci, loose or foreign bodies.
repair: Recent advances in minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery methods have led to procedures for repairing menisci.

Adjective modifier

torn: Surgery to repair or remove the torn meniscus may be appropriate for some people.
medial: The deeper layer of the ligament is attached to the medial meniscus.
lateral: He ended up trimming less than 10 % of the lateral meniscus.
concave: For effective examination it is necessary for the oil to form a concave meniscus on the surface of the hole to be examined.
stable: Logged Torn ACL, stable, medial meniscus tear of posterior horn.
artificial: The first prosthesis with artificial menisci was designed in Oxford by surgeons and engineered largely supported by grants from the ARC.

Modifies a noun

repair: Had xrays, arthroscopy, meniscus repair and washout and was told that the joints were too badly damaged for replacement joints.
injury: Bennett was also ruled out of the clash with a medial meniscus injury ( just bad knee next time will suffice, physios eh?
midge: Nationally scarce species include the water beetle and the meniscus midge.

Noun used with modifier

water: Photothermal detection of trace compounds in water, using the deflexion of a water meniscus.
knee: Likewise, it can tear like the knee meniscus with injuries of the shoulder.

Preposition: in

manometer: Also, the height difference between the two menisci in the manometer is measured.

Preposition: of

knee: An MRI scan confirmed this and Ben underwent an arthroscopy and repair of the medial meniscus of the right knee in May 2003.

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