cruciate ligament noun[ C ] anatomy specializeduk /ˌkruː.ʃi.ət ˈlɪɡ.ə.mənt/ us /ˌkruː.ʃi.eɪt ˈlɪɡ.ə.mənt//ˌkruː.ʃi.ət ˈlɪɡ.ə.mənt/ a piece of tissue in the knee joint that keeps it firmly fixed, and connects the femur(= upper leg bone) to the tibia(= lower leg bone): The cruciate ligaments cross over in the middle and give stability to the knee joint. cruciate ligament injuryA cruciate ligament injury will keep the player out for the rest of the season. Torn cruciate ligaments will probably require surgery, followed by months of treatment. She was forced to withdraw from the event after rupturing a cruciate ligament. He was able to play for the first time since March after recovering from a cruciate ligament injury. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases Substances & structures in the body abductor accessorius ACL actin adductor funiculus fusiform glomerular glomerulus GnRH navicular neuroendocrine neurohormonal neurohormone nociceptive tendinous tendinum tendo tensor Th