semilunar cartilage

7.6

A half-moon piece of strong tissue in the knee that cushions the ends of bones

noun
/ˌsɛmɪˈlunər ˈkɑrtɪlɪdʒ/

Specialized

: cartílago semilunar

The semilunar cartilage helps absorb shock in the knee.

Examples

A torn semilunar cartilage can cause swelling and pain in the knee.
The surgeon repaired the damaged semilunar cartilage after the injury.
Athletes are at higher risk of injuring their semilunar cartilage during sports activities.
Injuries to the semilunar cartilage can cause severe pain.
A torn semilunar cartilage can cause swelling and pain in the knee.
Athletes are at higher risk of injuring their semilunar cartilage during sports activities.
The surgeon repaired the damaged semilunar cartilage after the injury.

Synonyms

meniscus

vssemilunar cartilage

Specialized

3 8.1

A crescent-shaped piece of soft tissue in the knee that cushions the bones

is the more descriptive anatomical phrase for the same structure

Surface Forms

semilunar cartilage singular

semilunar cartilages plural

Morphology

semilunar + cartilage

The meaning 'a crescent-shaped cartilage in a joint' is directly and compositionally derived from 'semilunar' (crescent- or half-moon-shaped) + 'cartilage' (connective tissue in joints), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the combined sense. The adjective-noun combination follows normal English compositional patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, although detailed anatomical context may require additional domain knowledge.

Etymology

Semilunar cartilage gets its name from the parts semi, meaning 'half', and lunar, meaning 'moon', because the little piece of cartilage looks like a small half-moon. This crescent-shaped pad sits between bones as a 'cushion', so the name explains its meaning.