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me·nis·cus

(mə-nĭskəs)

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

1. A crescent-shaped body.

2. A concavo-convex lens.

3. The curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a container that is concave if the liquid adheres to the container walls and convex if it does not.

4. A cartilage disk that acts as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet in a joint.

[New Latin mēniscus, from Greek mēniskos, diminutive of meis, mēn-, crescent moon; see mē-² in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

me·niscal (-kəl), me·niscate′ (-kăt′), me·niscoid′ (-koid′), men′is·coidal (mĕn′ĭs-koidl) adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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