noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
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"The cartilage has slipped out here."
A usually translucent and somewhat elastic, dense, nonvascular connective tissue found in various forms in the larynx and respiratory tract, in structures such as the external ear, and in the articulating surfaces of joints. It composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos, being replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates.
Common synonyms include: gristle, arytenoid, bone, connective tissue, joint tissue, leather.
The cartilage has slipped out here.
Pronounced /ˈkɑː.tɪl.ɪd͡ʒ/.
Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilāgō. Partially displaced native gristle, from Old English gristel.