[TA] a joint in which the apposed bony surfaces are united by cartilage; they are divided into synchondroses and symphyses; in synchondroses, the cartilage connecting the apposed surfaces is, as a rule, ultimately converted to bone, as between epiphyses and diaphyses of long bones; exceptions are the sternal synchondroses and the cartilaginous union of the first rib and the manubrium of the sternum; in symphyses the bones are connected by a flat disc of fibrocartilage that remains unossified throughout life; e.g., the intervertebral disc and the symphysis pubis. SYN: junctura cartilaginea [TA], articulatio cartilaginis, cartilaginous articulation, synarthrodial joint (2).