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# cartilage

noun (cartilage, uncountable; a cartilage, cartilages)

«cartilage» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Cartilage is a strong, bendy material in the body, softer than bone, found in the ears, the end of the nose and between bones in joints. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#m1)
2. A cartilage is a piece of this material, especially in the knee. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#m2)

### In the lessons

In science lessons about the skeleton, cartilage covers the ends of bones at joints so they move smoothly without rubbing; babies' skeletons have more cartilage, which hardens into bone as they grow. Sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. Phrases: torn cartilage, knee cartilage, cartilage in the ear.

### Examples

- Feel your ear: it bends because it is made of cartilage. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x1)
- Cartilage protects the ends of bones in your joints. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x2)
- Sharks have skeletons made of cartilage, not bone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x3)
- The footballer tore a cartilage in his knee. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x4)
- The tip of your nose is cartilage. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x5)
- A baby's bones have lots of cartilage that turns into bone. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/#x6)

### Note

Mostly uncountable. Pronounced "KAR-ti-lij". Adjective: cartilaginous (sharks and rays are cartilaginous fish). Cartilage is not the same as a ligament (holds bones together) or a tendon (joins muscle to bone).

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «cartilage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/cartilage/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«cartilage» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/cartilage.html) on Mova free.