The Collaborative International Dictionary
Cartilage \Car"ti*lage\, n. [L. cartilago; cf. F. cartilage.] (Anat.) A translucent, elastic tissue; gristle.
Note: Cartilage contains no vessels, and consists of a homogeneous, intercellular matrix, in which there are numerous minute cavities, or capsules, containing protoplasmic cells, the cartilage corpuscul. See Illust under Duplication.
Articular cartilage, cartilage that lines the joints.
Cartilage bone (Anat.), any bone formed by the ossification of cartilage.
Costal cartilage, cartilage joining a rib with he sternum. See Illust. of Thorax.
Wiktionary
n. (context anatomy English) A tough, elastic, fibrous connective tissue found in various parts of the body, such as the joints, outer ear, and larynx. A major constituent of the embryonic and young vertebrate skeleton, it is converted largely to bone with maturation.
Usage examples of "articular cartilage".
A PM performed on their home world gave the cause of death as extreme calcification of the articular cartilage in practically every joint in the body, but had been unable to shed any light on the cause of death.
This layered imaging technique, far more precise than old-fashioned X-raying, allowed one to determine the age of the victim to the decade, judging by the hardening in the articular cartilage and in the blood vessels, since medicine, at the time these people lived, had not yet learned how to halt the changes termed sclerosis.