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Entry 3 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913

kneecap

/nē'kăp/ · knee·cap · IPA /ˈniːˌkæp/
01 n. A roundish, flattened, sesamoid bone in the tendon in front of the knee joint; the patella; the kneepan.
  1. 1.
    A roundish, flattened, sesamoid bone in the tendon in front of the knee joint; the patella; the kneepan.(Anat.)
  2. 2.
    A cap or protection for the knee.
02 v. t. to break the knees of, especially by shooting in the kneecap; -- often done by criminal or terrorist groups as a warning or punishment.
  1. 1.
    to break the knees of, especially by shooting in the kneecap; -- often done by criminal or terrorist groups as a warning or punishment.
Syn. knee-cap.