meniscus

Definition

A crescent moon, or an object shaped like it.

Etymology

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

Example Sentences

• "And from Crabbe's own forehead sweat dripped or gathered into a kind of meniscus to be scooped off."
• "He opened wide both casements; they gave on a parking place four floors below; the thin meniscus overhead was too wan to illumine the roofs of the houses descending toward the invisible lake [...]."

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