cartilage
car.ti.lage \'ka:rt-*l-ij, 'ka:rt-lij\ n [L cartilagin-, cartilago; akin to L cratis wickerwork] 1: a translucent elastic tissue that composes most of the skeleton of the e mbryos and very young of vertebrates and becomes for the most part converted into bone in the higher vertebrates 2: a part or structure composed of cartilage