ETYM Latin cartilago; cf. French cartilage.
Gristle. Flexible bluish white connective tissue made up of the protein collagen. In cartilaginous fish it forms the skeleton; in other vertebrates it forms the greater part of the embryonic skeleton, and is replaced by bone in the course of development, except in areas of wear such as bone endings, and the discs between the backbones. It also forms structural tissue in the larynx, nose, and external ear of mammals.
Cartilage does not heal itself, so where injury is severe the joint may need to be replaced surgically. In a 1994 trial, Swedish doctors repaired damaged knee joints by implanting cells cultured from the patient's own cartilage.
Tough elastic tissue; mostly converted to bone in adults; SYN. gristle.