kneecap
/ˈniːkap
/noun
The convex bone in front of the knee joint; the patella.It affects the cartilage on the back of the kneecap and causes pain and stiffness, especially when going up and down stairs....
- The tendon that connects the kneecap to the thigh muscle (patellar tendon) can be torn if the knee is bent too far back.
- He needs more surgery, this time to graft together the bone in the kneecap.
verb (kneecaps, kneecapping, kneecapped) [with object]
Shoot (someone) in the knee or leg as a form of punishment: (as noun kneecapping) petty crimes are punished by kneecapping...
- Three years earlier Mr Smith had kneecapped him, breaking his leg with a baseball bat after drugs he was looking after went missing, the jury heard.
- Would you be afraid to meet him late at night in a dark alley, just in case he was carrying a crowbar and threatening to kneecap you?
- The less-than-dynamic duo may yet get it right, especially if they can stop kneecapping themselves with stupid stunts.