cartilaginous
adjective
car·ti·lag·i·nous
| \ ˌkär-tə-ˈla-jə-nəs
\
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Definition of cartilaginous
: composed of, relating to, or resembling cartilage
The external nose has a cartilaginous framework.
Examples of cartilaginous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many of these cartilaginous swimmers eat fish, crustaceans, mollusks, plankton, krill, marine mammals, and other sharks—in short, humans are not on the menu. — Elaina Zachos, National Geographic, "Why are we afraid of sharks? There's a scientific explanation.," 27 June 2019 The 31st edition of Shark Week will feature 18 new specials that salute the cartilaginous creature, accompanied by nightly installments of the wrap-up talk show Shark After Dark (11 p.m. ET/PT), which is hosted this year by Rob Riggle. — Dan Snierson, EW.com, "Shark Week 2019 schedule: Your guide to all 18 specials," 10 July 2019 But these massive cartilaginous critters are not the largest fish to ever glide through the ocean. — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, "Why Did Most Massive Bony Fish Behemoths Die Out?," 4 June 2018 That's right—the cartilaginous creature in question, now called Helicoprion, was extinct before dinosaurs ever existed. — Steve Mirsky, Scientific American, "Sharklike Helicoprion Ruled Its Environs with a Row of Vertical Teeth," 1 Oct. 2017 Our preliminary hypothesis is that the creatures were green or blue, with long cartilaginous beaks. — Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, "Captain’s Log," 18 Sep. 2017 All that protects us from aspirating is a thin, cartilaginous flap of tissue called the epiglottis. — Douglas Jacobs, Washington Post, "Problems swallowing are a big killer, but the treatment can be horrible," 7 Mar. 2018 The pasta’s quill-like form and perpendicular ridges are said to resemble the cartilaginous rings in a chicken’s trachea. — AJC.com, "Fill up on this Old Fourth Ward pasta dish, back by popular demand," 24 Feb. 2018 In lieu of scales, bony plates called scutes cover the sturgeon’s cartilaginous bodies. — Julia Kramer, Bon Appetit, "Spears, Beers, and Caviar: Fishing for Sturgeon in Wisconsin," 6 Feb. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cartilaginous.' 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 cartilaginous
cartilaginous
adjective
car·ti·lag·i·nous
| \ ˌkär-tə-ˈla-jə-nəs
\
\
Kids Definition of cartilaginous
: relating to or made of cartilage
Cartilaginous tissue is found in the outer ear and the nose.
cartilaginous
adjective
car·ti·lag·i·nous
| \ -nəs
\
\
Medical Definition of cartilaginous
: composed of, relating to, or resembling cartilage
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