cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
| \ ˈkär-tə-lij
, ˈkärt-lij\
, ˈkärt-lij\
Definition of cartilage
1
: a usually translucent (see translucent sense 1) somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (such as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
Examples of cartilage in a Sentence
She fell and damaged some cartilage in her knee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Researchers from Switzerland and the Netherlands have used this printer to create synthetic bone and cartilage. — Scientific American, "Test Pilot Geese, Planetary Wrecking Balls and Super AI Vision: The Week’s Best Science GIFs," 6 Sep. 2019 Jana Martin, 44, of Whitman, said she was scheduled for knee surgery in February at Brockton Hospital to address her torn cartilage, which caused shooting pain with every step. — Naomi Martin, BostonGlobe.com, "No eating, no drinking, and now, no marijuana before surgery, doctors say," 21 Aug. 2019 People are getting leafy branches permanently sketched on their cartilage, a cool alternative to your classic upper-ear stud. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "Instagram is Obsessed With Vine Ear Tattoos – And You'll Want to Get One Too," 15 July 2019 Another pair mimics two different pieces of guipure lace, plus a diamond ear cuff to hook on your cartilage, while other sets include one chandelier earring and one smaller stud. — Emily Farra, Vogue, "Victoire de Castellane Reflects on 20 Years as Dior’s Creative Director of Fine Jewelry," 29 Oct. 2018 Freshman DeMarvin Leal, one of the nation’s top overall prospects in the class of 2019, enrolled at A&M in January but missed spring drills with a minor cartilage tear in his knee. — Brent Zwerneman, ExpressNews.com, "Texas A&M is sure it can hold the line," 3 Aug. 2019 Maciej Baranski, a physicist at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research & Technology Centre, says the group plans to use Northstar to explore cell therapies for fighting cancer or replacing damaged cartilage. — Matthew Hutson, Science | AAAS, "No coding required: Companies make it easier than ever for scientists to use artificial intelligence," 31 July 2019 This section is often removed and discarded because it is ridden with cartilage, and there was a lot of leftover rib tips back when Chicago had the stockyards. — Nick Kindelsperger, chicagotribune.com, "Where to find the best barbecue on Chicago’s South Side, where the rib tip and hot link combo is king," 26 June 2019 There’s also no definitive evidence stem cells and platelets can regrow lost cartilage, Fu said. — STAT, "Employers are steering workers toward a controversial stem cell therapy," 20 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cartilage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for cartilage
cartilage
noun
English Language Learners Definition of cartilage
: a strong but flexible material found in some parts of the body (such as the nose, the outer ear, and some joints)
See the full definition for cartilage in the English Language Learners Dictionary
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
| \ ˈkär-tə-lij
\
\
Kids Definition of cartilage
: tough flexible tissue that makes up most of the skeleton of vertebrates during early development and except for in a few places in the body (as the nose or outer ear) is replaced by bone
cartilage
noun
car·ti·lage
| \ ˈkärt-ᵊl-ij, ˈkärt-lij
\
\
Medical Definition of cartilage
1
: a usually translucent somewhat elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of vertebrate embryos and except for a small number of structures (as some joints, respiratory passages, and the external ear) is replaced by bone during ossification in the higher vertebrates
2
: a part or structure composed of cartilage
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