cilium
Americannoun
noun
-
any of the short thread-like projections on the surface of a cell, organism, etc, whose rhythmic beating causes movement of the organism or of the surrounding fluid
-
the technical name for eyelash
Etymology
Origin of cilium
From Latin
Vocabulary lists containing cilium
Cell Biology - Middle School
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Cell Biology - High School
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Marine Biology - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The reason for this daytime-induced enhanced healing process appears to be from the relationship the 24-hour cycle has on the length of the primary cilium.
From Science Daily • Dec. 21, 2023
Depending on its position, a cilium can be more effected by its neighbor than vice versa, especially in a dense carpet of cilia as it frequently occurs in nature.
From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023
Running a low positive voltage through a cilium triggers a chemical reaction: as a droplet of test fluid flows past, the electrified platinum breaks apart the water molecules within the droplet.
From Scientific American • Jul. 11, 2022
He points out that Dogic's group created something that looks and acts very much like a cilium or flagellum with its multitude of proteins — but that may, in fact, work very differently.
From Nature • Jan. 4, 2016
In animals, the familiar type is that of a small, more or less ovoid head, with a delicate threadlike cilium, or tail.
From The Gutenberg Webster's Unabridged Dictionary Section S by Project Gutenberg
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
