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of or resembling cartilage.
having a skeleton composed either entirely or mainly of cartilage, as vertebrates of the class Chondrichthyes, which includes the sharks, rays, and skates.
Historical Examples

The existence of cartilaginous sternal ribs in Inia and Platanista shows affinity between these two genera and the Physeteridae.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia Frank Evers Beddard

The stem is cartilaginous and continuous with the pileus, but of a different texture.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise M. E. Hard

Inside each of the visceral processes on either side a cartilaginous rod develops.
Form and Function E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

The endoskeleton is cartilaginous and true bone is never found.
The Vertebrate Skeleton Sidney H. Reynolds

The coagula were numerous, and the superficial ones, quite hard and cartilaginous.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826 Various

In this layer the development of cartilaginous elements has taken place.
The Vertebrate Skeleton Sidney H. Reynolds

The cartilaginous rod of the second arch segments like the first into three pieces.
Form and Function E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

The cartilaginous spiral is sometimes cylindrical and sometimes flat.
The Insect World Louis Figuier

From their organization the fishes of this order establish the passage from cartilaginous to the osseous fishes.
The Ocean World: Louis Figuier

Tongue long, extensible, terminated by cartilaginous fibres.
Zoological Illustrations, Volume I William Swainson

adj.

1540s, from French cartilagineux and directly from Latin cartilaginosus, from cartilago (genitive cartilaginis) “cartilage, gristle” (see cartilage).

cartilaginous car·ti·lag·i·nous (kär’tl-āj’ə-nəs)
adj.

Chondral.

Having a skeleton consisting primarily of cartilage.

Having the texture of cartilage.