Word
cartilage
Phoneticscar·ti·lage
US/ˈkɑɹtəɫədʒ/
UK/kˈɑːtɪlɪdʒ/
Definition
n. the strong, flexible tissue in your body that protects your joints. It is softer than bone and is found in places like your nose, ears, and knees.
n. a tough, elastic, and flexible connective tissue found in various parts of the body, including the joints, outer ear, and larynx.
Examples
“The athlete had surgery to repair the torn cartilage in his knee.”
“As people age, the cartilage between their vertebrae can thin, leading to back pain and reduced flexibility.”
“Unlike bone, cartilage lacks a direct blood supply, which means it heals much more slowly when damaged by injury or chronic wear and tear.”
Examples
simple
“The athlete had surgery to repair the torn cartilage in his knee.”
contextual
“As people age, the cartilage between their vertebrae can thin, leading to back pain and reduced flexibility.”
complex
“Unlike bone, cartilage lacks a direct blood supply, which means it heals much more slowly when damaged by injury or chronic wear and tear.”
Usage
Usually uncountable when referring to the tissue type; can be countable when referring to specific anatomical structures.
Real-World Examples
“Aging gradually wears down the cartilage and fluid that protect our joints, but avoiding movement may actually make matters worse.” “Apart from the jaws and teeth, shark skeletons are mostly cartilage , so vertebrae are rare and important.” “Shark skeletons are largely made of cartilage , which usually decays too quickly to be preserved, but some parts are made of harder and more resilient stuff.” “Babies are small, and their skeletons are partly made of cartilage, which degrades rapidly after death.” Etymology
Borrowed from French cartilage, from Latin cartilāgō. Partially displaced native gristle, from Old English gristel.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/cartilage