parachordal cartilage


par·a·chor·dal car·ti·lage

cartilage primordia adjacent on either side to the cephalic portion of the notochord in young embryos; they represent an initial step in the formation of the chondrocranium.

parachordal cartilage

One of a pair of cartilages in the cephalic portion of the notochord of the embryo that unites in humans to form a single basal plate that is the forerunner of the occipital bone. See also: cartilage