Definition of "cartilaginous" [car•ti•lag•i•nous]

• Of, relating to, or consisting of cartilage. (adjective)
• Having a skeleton consisting mainly of cartilage. (adjective)
• Having the texture of cartilage; firm and tough, yet flexible. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In the present creation fishes are either osseous or cartilaginous, that is, with bony skeletons, or with a framework of elastic, semi-transparent animal matter, like the shark; and the ichthyolites of the Old Red Sandstone unite these characteristics, resembling in some respects the osseous and in others the cartilaginous tribes."
• "So-called cartilaginous fish, such as sharks and rays, with their gristly, rubbery flesh, are increasingly under threat from fishermen around the …"
• "So-called cartilaginous fish, such as sharks and rays, with their gristly, rubbery flesh, are increasingly under threat from fishermen around the world."