kneecap
Joint's bony cover
The kneecap is the small, flat, roughly triangular bone that sits at the front of the knee joint, protecting it and helping the leg extend.
Its medical name is patella.
As a verb, to kneecap someone is to shoot or otherwise damage their kneecaps, a form of punishment or torture associated particularly with paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.
The verb extends figuratively to mean crippling or undermining something: The amendment would kneecap the legislation.
Triangular bone covering knee
- femurUpper leg bone
- tibiaMain lower leg bone
- quadricepsFour-part thigh muscle
- patellar tendonKneecap-to-tibia ligament
cartilage · meniscus · bursa · synovial · ligament · bone · joint · sesamoid
Forced out of position
- fractureSplit in hard material
- tendinitisInflamed tissue joining muscle to bone
- bursitisInflamed joint cushions
- swellingAbnormal tissue enlargement
pain · inflammation · torn · sprain · rehab · surgery · arthroscopy · orthopedic
Decreasing a joint angle
- extensionAdded part or duration
- bendingCurving from straight
- trackingMonitoring location over time
- glidingEngineless aerial movement
articulation · squatting · walking · running · climbing · stability · range of motion · alignment
Cushioned writing surface
- guardWatchful defensive attention
- braceDevice providing structural stability
- sleeveGarment's arm portion
- supportTo uphold or sustain
cushioning · padding · armor · athletic tape · compression · stabilizer · sports gear · protective equipment
Criminal organization using intimidation
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- baseball batClub for hitting pitches
- paramilitaryUnofficial armed organization
IRA · intimidation · enforcement · mob · retribution · crippling
patella
Triangular bone covering knee
- femurUpper leg bone
- tibiaMain lower leg bone
- quadricepsFour-part thigh muscle
patellar tendon · cartilage · meniscus · bursa · synovial · ligament · bone · joint · sesamoid · condyle
dislocation
Forced out of position
- fractureSplit in hard material
- tendinitisInflamed tissue joining muscle to bone
- bursitisInflamed joint cushions
swelling · pain · inflammation · torn · sprain · rehab · surgery · arthroscopy · orthopedic · physical therapy
flexion
Decreasing a joint angle
gliding · articulation · squatting · walking · running · climbing · stability · range of motion · alignment · gait
pad
Cushioned writing surface
- guardWatchful defensive attention
- braceDevice providing structural stability
- sleeveGarment's arm portion
support · cushioning · padding · armor · athletic tape · compression · stabilizer · sports gear · protective equipment
mafia
Criminal organization using intimidation
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- tortureDeliberate infliction of suffering
- baseball batClub for hitting pitches
paramilitary · IRA · intimidation · enforcement · mob · retribution · crippling
- musculoskeletalbone, bones, muscle, muscles, joint
- body part wordsAdam's apple, anklebone, armpit, backbone, belly button
- Kneepatella, meniscus, ACL, LCL, patellar tendon
- hard tissuesbone, skeleton, skull, teeth, enamel
- leg bonesfemur, tibia, fibula, patella, thighbone
- leg jointship, hip joint, ankle, patella, subtalar joint