(kăr′tĭ-lĭj)
[Pronunciation]
[L. cartilago, gristle]

A specialized type of dense connective tissue consisting of cells embedded in a ground substance or matrix.
The matrix is firm and compact and can withstand considerable pressure or tension. Cartilage is bluish-white or gray and is semiopaque; it has no nerve or blood supply of its own. The cells lie in cavities called lacunae. They may be single or in groups of two, three, or four.
Cartilage forms parts of joints in the adult skeleton, such as between vertebral bodies and on the articular surfaces of bones. It also occurs in the costal cartilages of the ribs, in the nasal septum, in the external ear and lining of the eustachian tube, in the wall of the larynx, and in the trachea and bronchi. It forms the major portion of the embryonic skeleton, providing a model in which most bones develop.

Subentries:
alar cartilage
articular cartilage
costal cartilage
cricoid cartilage
cuneiform cartilage
elastic cartilage
fibrous cartilage
hyaline cartilage
Jacobson'scartilage
Meckel's c.
nasal cartilage
palpebral cartilage
parachordal cartilage
Reichert's cartilage
repair of cartilage defects
semilunar cartilage
sesamoid cartilage
shark cartilage
thyroid cartilage
triticeous cartilage
vomeronasal cartilage
Y cartilage