meniscus

[Gr. mēniskos =a little moon; méně a moon.] 1. Optics .: A lens convex on one side and concave on the other. (LENS.] The concave side has a curve of greater radius than the convex side, and the lens is thicker in the middle than elsewhere. 2. Archœol.: A kind of bronze plate or disc, which was placed by the An then i ans upon the heads of statues, to defend them from the rain, or, more especially, from the ordure of birds. 3. Zobl .: A term applied to an organ of doubtful function in Echinorhynchus. ( Hurley .) 4. Physics: The surface of a liquid column rendered concave or convex by capillarity.