As a noun, the kneecap is the small, round bone at the front of your knee that protects the joint; its medical name is the patella. As a verb, to kneecap someone can mean to injure their knees badly or, figuratively, to seriously damage their power or chances.
Formed in English from “knee” and “cap”, describing the bone as a cap or cover over the knee joint. The verb sense grew from the literal act of attacking someone’s knees.
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