CARTILAGINOUS STRUCTURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cartilaginous structure mean? 

• CARTILAGINOUS STRUCTURE (noun)
  The noun CARTILAGINOUS STRUCTURE has 1 sense:

1. body structure given shape by cartilage

  Familiarity information: CARTILAGINOUS STRUCTURE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CARTILAGINOUS STRUCTURE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Body structure given shape by cartilage

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("cartilaginous structure" is a kind of...):

anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)

Meronyms (substance of "cartilaginous structure"):

cartilage; gristle (tough elastic tissue; mostly converted to bone in adults)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cartilaginous structure"):

epiglottis (a flap of cartilage that covers the windpipe while swallowing)

auricle; ear; pinna (the externally visible cartilaginous structure of the external ear)

tragus (a small cartilaginous flap in front of the external opening of the ear)

larynx; voice box (a cartilaginous structure at the top of the trachea; contains elastic vocal cords that are the source of the vocal tone in speech)

costal cartilage (the cartilages that connect the sternum and the ends of the ribs; its elasticity allows the chest to move in respiration)

 Context examples 

The cartilaginous structure of the respiratory tract between the pharynx and the trachea.

(Larynx, NCI Thesaurus)