cartilaginous

[kahr-tl-aj-uh-nuhs]

adjective

1. of or resembling cartilage.

2. having a skeleton composed either entirely or mainly of cartilage, as vertebrates of the class Chondrichthyes, which includes the sharks, rays, and skates.

Other Word Forms

• intercartilaginous adjective
• postcartilaginous adjective
• precartilaginous adjective
• pseudocartilaginous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cartilaginous¹

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin cartilāginōsus, equivalent to cartilāgin- (stem of cartilāgō ) cartilage + -ōsus -ous

Example Sentences

These unique molecules have not been observed in any other mammals, although they do exist in some cartilaginous fish.

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They belong to a group of cartilaginous fish known as chimaeras, which diverged from sharks millions of years ago.

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He is formless, almost faceless, a man whose countenance is a caricature, a man whose framework seems cartilaginous, without bones.

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With such robust evolutionary versatility, these cartilaginous fishes have survived not one, not two, but five mass extinctions in Earth's history.

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“The bullet track produced a 2 cm wide wound that extended down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. There was initially significant bleeding, followed by marked swelling of the entire upper ear.”

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