What does "meniscus" mean?

A crescent moon, or an object shaped like it.

Meniscus

Common synonyms include: achromatic lens, astigmatic lens, burning glass, camera, capillary surface, cartilaginous disc.

/məˈnɪs.kəs/ noun

noun ·Uncommon ·College level

Noun

1
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."
2
(physics) the curved upper surface of a nonturbulent liquid in a vertical tube wordnet
3
A lens which is convex on one side and concave on the other, being crescent-shaped in cross-section.
4
(optics) a lens that is concave on one side and convex on the other wordnet
5
The curved surface of liquids in tubes, whether concave or convex, caused by the surface tension of the liquid.

Show 2 more definitions

6
(anatomy) a disk of cartilage that serves as a cushion between the ends of bones that meet at a joint wordnet
7
Either of two parts of the human knee that provide structural integrity to the knee when it undergoes tension and torsion.

"The meniscus is not a bone. It is a cartilage, a flexible, elastic tissue."

From Ancient Greek μηνίσκος (mēnískos, “crescent”), from μήνη (mḗnē, “moon”). Piecewise doublet of moonish.