How to Say "Cartilage" in Spanish

cartílago

/kaɾˈtilaɡo/masculine

The English word 'cartilage' is translated into Spanish as cartílago. Wiktionary also lists cartilágine and ternilla.

Meaning: elastic tissue (noun)

Ways to say it

“cartilage” in Spanish
Spanish	IPA	Note
cartílago	/kaɾˈtilaɡo/	masculine
cartilágine	/kaɾtilaxine/ (from spelling rules)	masculine
ternilla	/teɾˈniʝa/	feminine

The term refers to the elastic tissue found in the body. In a biological, medical or general context, the standard term is cartílago.

cartilágine is a form. Additionally, ternilla is a feminine form used for cartilage.

The noun cartílago is masculine and requires masculine articles, such as el or los.

/kaɾˈtilaɡo/

While cartílago is the scientific standard, the term ternilla is frequently used in traditional Spanish cooking to describe the soft, gristly parts of meat.
In a medical setting, using the word ternilla instead of cartílago could sound overly colloquial or even poetic rather than professional.
The word ternilla is built from the adjective tierno, meaning 'tender' or 'soft', combined with a diminutive suffix.

El cartílago de la nariz es flexible y resistente.
The cartilage of the nose is flexible and resilient.
El desgaste del cartílago puede causar problemas en las articulaciones.
The wear and tear of cartilage can cause joint problems.
El cartílago de la oreja es muy flexible.
The cartilage of the ear is very flexible.
El médico examinó el cartílago de su nariz.
The doctor examined the cartilage of his nose.
Esa lesión afectó el cartílago de la rodilla.
That injury affected the cartilage of the knee.

Alejandro and Elena are talking about a sports injury.

Sources

Wiktionary, “cartilage” translations and entries cartílago, ternilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries cartílago, ternilla, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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