gristle

Meaning

1. Cartilage; now especially: cartilage present, as a tough substance, in meat.
2. Bone not yet hardened by age and hard work.

Synonyms

cartilage

tendon

gelatine

sinew

boney

sarcoma

flesh

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Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈɡɹɪsəl/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: gristel

Inherited from Old English: gristel

Cognate with Old Frisian: gristel

Cognate with Middle Low German: gristel

In summary

From Middle English gristel, grystyl, from Old English gristel (“gristle, cartilage”), Proto-West Germanic *gristl, of obscure origin; possibly from a pre-Germanic substrate language. Seemingly equivalent to a diminutive of Old English grist (“a grinding”), equivalent to modern English grist + -le; possibly related to Proto-Germanic *gredaną (“to crunch”). Cognate with Old Frisian gristel, gerstel (“gristle, cartilage”), Middle Low German gristel (“gristle”).