cartilaginous

American  

[kahr-tl-aj-uh-nuhs] / ˌkɑr tlˈædʒ ə nəs /

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.

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Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of cartilaginous

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

Explanation

If you’ve ever chewed on a particularly tough and rubbery bit of food, you could describe it as cartilaginous because its texture is similar to the tough, flexible material that our noses and ears are made of. Cartilaginous (pronounced kar-tuh-LAJ-uh-nus) relates primarily to cartilage, which is a biological material that is less rigid than bone but firmer than muscle, providing support where flexibility is necessary, such as in joints and certain body structures. In a culinary context, cartilaginous might refer to certain seafood or meats that are more challenging to chew because of their dense, rubbery texture, like shark meat or certain cuts of beef.

Example Sentences

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

From Science Daily • Nov. 6, 2025

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

From Science Daily • Oct. 16, 2025

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

From Salon • Jan. 31, 2025

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

From Salon • Jul. 21, 2024

I had drawn its body inside and out—the vertebrae like cartilaginous Legos, the placement of the organs, the fins, and the industrial hinges of the jaw.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen