ˈkär]d. ə lij, -ȧ], ]t ə l-; ]tlij, ]tlēj\ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin cartilago; akin to Latin cratis wickerwork — more at hurdle
1. : a translucent elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of the embryos and very young of vertebrates and is for the most part converted into bone in the higher forms but remains through life the chief constituent of the skeleton of primitive forms (as the sturgeons and elasmobranchs) : gristle — see chondrin , elastic cartilage , fibrocartilage , hyaline cartilage
2. : a part or structure composed of cartilage (as a piece of a cartilaginous skeleton or an articular cartilage)