From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcartilagecar‧ti‧lage /ˈkɑːtəlɪdʒ $ ˈkɑːrtəlɪdʒ/ noun [countable, uncountable] HBHa strong substance that can bend, which is around the joints in your body and in your outer ear
Examples from the Corpus
cartilage• It has tender meat; soft, pliable, smooth-textured skin; and flexible breastbone cartilage. 3.• It has somewhat toughened and dark flesh, coarse skin, and a somewhat hardened breastbone cartilage. 6.• Pulsing flesh, exposed cartilage and bone fastened to mattresses shoved against hospital walls.• Such buds containing re-aggregated cells do not develop normally but they can form jointed cartilage elements and sometimes very good-looking digit-like structures.• There were also floating bits of cartilage running round the knee.• They are among the most primitive on bony fish, though their skeleton consists largely of cartilage.• Pull meat off ducks and remove any skin, cartilage, or bone.• Had it landed, the blow would have crushed the cartilage and killed him instantly.Origin cartilage (1400-1500) Latin cartilago 