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Glite Dictionary
hyaline cartilage

hyaline cartilage

6.7
A clear, soft body material that covers bone ends in joints and forms much of an unborn baby's skeleton
  • noun
  • /ˈhaɪəˌlaɪn ˈkɑrtɪlɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cartílago hialino
  • This type of hyaline cartilage is essential for forming most of the fetal skeleton and is prevalent in joints.

Examples

  • In synovial joints, the bone endings are covered with a smooth, glossy material called hyaline cartilage, which is slippery yet hard-wearing.

  • Restorative procedures are designed to allow the cartilage lesion to heal with a type of cartilage that is more like normal hyaline cartilage.

    Academic text (2005)

  • Laryngeal chondrosarcomas usually arise from the hyaline cartilage of the posterior cricoid.

    Academic text (2001)

  • This type of cartilage does not have the same mechanical properties as normal articular cartilage, hyaline cartilage, but does provide a covering over the otherwise exposed underlying bone, which can alleviate symptoms of pain and swelling.

    Academic text (2005)

  • The nasal passages also contain hyaline cartilage that supports the structure while allowing flexibility.

Synonyms

cartilage
vshyaline cartilage
  • Specialized
33 4.3

A strong, flexible tissue in joints that is softer than bone

is a translucent subtype found in joints and respiratory passages and fetal skeleton

Surface Forms

hyaline cartilage singular
hyaline cartilages plural

Morphology

hyaline + cartilage

The phrase literally combines 'hyaline' (glass-like, translucent) with 'cartilage' (connective tissue), so its meaning as a translucent type of cartilage is directly derivable from the constituents. Although the term is technical, its semantics are fully compositional, so a B1 learner who knows both words would be able to infer the basic meaning.

Etymology

Hyaline cartilage comes from an old word for 'glass'; hyaline means 'glass-like' and cartilage means the soft, bone-like tissue. So the name tells us it is the clear, smooth tissue found at joints and in the skeleton of an unborn baby.