You searched for: “menisci
meniscus (muh NIS kuhs) (s) (noun), menisci (muh NIS sigh, muh NIS kigh, muh NIS kee) (pl)
A crescent-shaped strong elastic tissue located in several joints in the body: The menisci are the cartilage disks that act as cushions between the ends of bones that meet in skeletal connections; such as, in the knees and other linkages of the body.

The main function of the meniscus is to reduce frictions when the connecters are moving.

Each of the knee hinges has two menisci; the wrist links and temporomandibular junctions (jaw links) have a meniscus for each closure.

A meniscus is an anatomic feature; for example, the medial meniscus of the knee is a crescent-shaped cartilage pad between the two linking connecters formed by the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shin bone)."

The meniscus acts as a smooth surface for the hinges to move on and the medial meniscus is toward the inner (medial) side of the knee connection.

The menisci are often used to refer to one of the semilunar fibrocartilaginous disks in the various intersections of the body.

The word meniscus comes from Greek and refers to a "crescent-shaped structure" and so, today a meniscus is something that is shaped like a crescent moon.

This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 1)
Word Entries containing the term: “menisci
lateral meniscus of the knee (s) (noun), lateral menisci of the knees (pl)
Thickened crescent-shaped cartilage pads in the outer portions of the joints formed by the femurs (thigh bones) and the tibias (shin bones): Each lateral meniscus of the knee acts as a smooth surface for its coupling to move properly.

The lateral menisci of the knees are toward the outer sides of the knee couplings and they serve to evenly load the surfaces during the body's weight-bearing, and also aid in providing fluids for the lubrications of the contacting points.

This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 1)
medial meniscus of the knee (s) (noun), medial menisci of the knees (pl)
Compact, semicircular shaped cartilage (tough elastic tissue) cushions in the inner portions of the junctions formed by the thigh bones and the shin bones: The medial menisci of the knees are located in the inner sides of the knee connecters.

The medial menisci of the knees provide outer curves for conjoining links to move on, serve to evenly load the structures during walking, and aid in disbursing fluids to the joints for lubrication of those skeletal parts.

This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 1)
meniscus in nature (s) (noun), menisci in nature (pl)
For a tiny insect, a pond's still surface can present a challenging waterscape.
  • To move from water to land, a water-walking creature may have to scale a steep, slippery slope—the curved edge where water meets leaf, rock, or floating object.
  • The curvature of a liquid's surface at a boundary is a consequence of the liquid's surface tension.
  • The sloped surface marking the border between wet and dry is called the meniscus.
  • Very small insects typically can't climb these frictionless mountains using their normal rowing motions or running gaits.
  • If they try to walk up, they slide back down.
  • Instead, these insects have to rely on a novel form of propulsion that doesn't require moving their legs back and forth.
  • As this water treader approaches a meniscus, its front and rear legs deform the water's surface to help it move up the slope.
  • Two species of water strider, for example, have retractable claws on their front and hind legs that allow them to pull up on the water to create tiny peaks.
  • At the same time, the central pair of legs presses down on the water to form dimples in the surface.
  • Because the insects are small, these peaks and dimples create sufficient force to pull the insects up the slope.
  • In effect, the insect creates tiny menisci with its front and rear legs.
  • Because menisci are attracted to other menisci, the net effect is to pull the insect up the slope at the water's edge.
  • These creatures can reach speeds as high as thirty body lengths per second.
  • In technical terms, the insects take advantage of lateral capillary forces that exist between small floating objects.
  • The force of attraction between body and meniscus "wall" depends on the body's buoyancy and on its distance from the wall.
  • Because the insect's front legs are closer to the wall than its rear legs are, the net effect is to propel the insect forward and upward.
  • The larva of the waterlily leaf beetle uses an alternative strategy to scale a slippery meniscus.
  • A poor swimmer, this creature simply arches its back, creating a meniscus at each end. The insect then gets pulled up the slope to a leaf.
  • In meniscus climbing, the researchers note, instead of moving its legs back and forth, an insect deforms the liquid's surface, converting muscular strain to the surface energy that powers its ascent.
  • In the realm of fluid dynamics, few researchers have previously tackled situations that involve surface tension as an important component.
  • The new results and related research may have important applications not only for understanding biolocomotion but also potentially in nanotechnology.
—Compiled from the article, "Climbing a Watery Slope" by Ivars Peterson,
in Science News Online, Week of November 5, 2005; Vol. 168, No. 19.
This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 1)
surface meniscus (s) (noun), surface menisci (pl)
A shape of the edges of liquids on the top area in a tube or other glass container: In chemistry class when Sally looked at the upper surface of any fluid from the side of a glass tube, she could see a slight curve up and down or a crescent shape around the top edge of the liquid, which she learned to be a meniscus or surface meniscus.

The surface menisci of fluids indicate curved upper surfaces around the edges of liquids that are contained in tubes and which are curved because of surface tensions.

In metal work, surface meniscus applies to a solder joint that has a minimum angle at which the solder tapers from the joint to the flat surface.

This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 2)
torn meniscus (s) (noun), torn menisci (pl)
Traumas or injuries to the knee joints, and the cartilages within them, caused by forceful twisting or over-flexing of the junctions resulting in pain, swelling, and popping: Brad limped off the race track with what appeared to be a torn meniscus in his right knee.
This entry is located in the following unit: menisc-, menisco- (page 2)