cartilage

noun

car·ti·lage | \ ˈkär-tə-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

Kevon Looney has fractured cartilage in his rib cage. — Dave Hyde, sun-sentinel.com, "Hyde: Kevin Durant’s injury is all pain, no gain for anyone | Commentary," 11 June 2019 Thompson missed his first career playoff game after straining his left hamstring late in Game 2, while Looney is out the rest of the series after a cartilage fracture on his right side near the collarbone that also happened Sunday. — Janie Mcauley, chicagotribune.com, "Raptors use big shots to overcome Steph Curry's 47 points and take a 2-1 NBA Finals lead," 5 June 2019 One of the lasting images of this past season was Looney wincing in pain and gutting through it while playing in the NBA Finals with a first costal cartilage fracture. — Jon Becker, The Mercury News, "Report: Rockets may pursue Warriors’ Kevon Looney," 26 June 2019 The injury was diagnosed as apophysitis, in which cartilage tore loose from a growth plate. — David Woods, Indianapolis Star, "Meet Semira Killebrew — the fastest teenage girl in Indiana history," 20 June 2019 One center, Kevon Looney, was playing through a cartilage fracture in his chest, and another, DeMarcus Cousins, had torn his quadriceps muscle earlier in the postseason and could hardly jump. — Robert O'connell, The Atlantic, "Kevin Durant’s Disastrous Comeback," 11 June 2019 And Golden State also lost bench stalwart Kevon Looney to a cartilage fracture during Game 2 of the series. — Kevin Dotson, CNN, "The FIFA Women's World Cup kicks off a big sports weekend featuring the Belmont Stakes and NHL Stanley Cup Final," 7 June 2019 The Warriors fought, Klay Thompson’s mangled hamstring and Kevon Looney’s cartilage fracture not keeping them off the court. — Dan Woike, latimes.com, "Warriors will need a miracle to claw back against the Raptors," 7 June 2019 Splash Brother Thompson missed his first career playoff game after straining his left hamstring late in Game 2, while Looney is out the rest of the series after a cartilage fracture on his right side near the collarbone that also happened Sunday. — CBS News, "Curry's heroics not enough as Raptors take 2-1 lead in NBA Finals," 6 June 2019

These 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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Last Updated

15 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for cartilage

The first known use of cartilage was in the 15th century

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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