gristle

noun

gris·​tle ˈgri-səl How to pronounce gristle (audio) -zəl How to pronounce gristle (audio)
: cartilage
broadly : tough cartilaginous, tendinous, or fibrous matter especially in table meats

Examples of gristle in a Sentence

a cheap piece of meat, full of gristle and fat
Recent Examples on the Web But what about those unavoidable cinematic stinkers that rankled and vexed, worthy of their own specifically notable ire as visually flavorless gristle or toxically soporific veneers masquerading as motion pictures? Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 5 Dec. 2023 Remove ham meat from bone, and add back to soup: Remove ham bone and any gristle. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 24 Nov. 2023 Remove meat from bone; discard fat, gristle, and bone. Paige Grandjean, Southern Living, 13 Oct. 2023 Kristóf’s sentences are like those skeletons, commemorations of indescribable sadness that have been meticulously scrubbed of gore and gristle. Jennifer Krasinski, The New Yorker, 27 June 2023 Berry told him to drench it in barbecue sauce and to not eat it too close to the bone because that's where most of the gristle was. Tony Holt, Arkansas Online, 25 June 2023 My Los Angeles bookshelf filled up, book by book, with the glitter and gristle of L.A. noir. Steph Cha, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2023 There’s no ancillary fat, no extra gristle. Andy Wang, Robb Report, 5 June 2022 Forget her brain, back to her gristle. Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 1 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gristle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English gristil, from Old English gristle; akin to Middle Low German gristel gristle

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gristle was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near gristle

Cite this Entry

“Gristle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gristle. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

gristle

noun
gris·​tle ˈgris-əl How to pronounce gristle (audio)
: tough chewy matter in meat served as food that is composed usually of cartilage
gristly
ˈgris-(ə-)lē
adjective

Medical Definition

gristle

noun
gris·​tle ˈgris-əl How to pronounce gristle (audio)

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