gristle

Meaning

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

Frequency

42k
Pronounced as (IPA)
/ˈɡɹɪsəl/
Etymology

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”).

Notes

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