What it means
The root in words about cartilage, the firm, smooth tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints and shapes the ears and nose. Chondromalacia is softening of cartilage, often under the kneecap, and a chondrocyte is a cartilage cell. Costochondritis is inflammation where the ribs join the breastbone.
At a glance
| Also written | chondro- |
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Related terms
osteoarthritis
A long-term joint disease in which the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears away.
-itis
A word ending that means inflammation.
ligament
A tough band of tissue that connects one bone to another at a joint.