cilium

[ sil-ee-uhm ]

noun

1. singular of cilia.

cilium

/ ˈsɪlɪəm /

noun

1. 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
2. See eyelash
   the technical name for eyelash

cilium

/ sĭl′ē-əm /

, Plural cilia

1. A tiny hairlike projection on the surface of some cells and microscopic organisms, especially protozoans. Cilia are capable of whipping motions and are used by some microorganisms, such as paramecia, for movement. Cilia lining the human respiratory tract act to remove foreign matter from air before it reaches the lungs.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cilium¹

From Latin

Word History and Origins

Origin of cilium¹

C18: New Latin, from Latin: (lower) eyelid, eyelash

Example Sentences

Normally, those cilia move in synchronized waves to push mucus out of the airway and into the throat.

From Science News

When it infects respiratory tract cells, the virus appears to clear tracts of cilia, and without the hairlike structures, the cells stop moving mucus, researchers report July 16 in Nature Communications.

From Science News

Some pathogens, like the coronavirus, just damage cilia, leaving the cells they protrude from intact.

From Science News

A coronavirus infection can mow down the forests of hairlike cilia that coat our airways, destroying a crucial barrier to keeping the virus from lodging deep in the lungs.

From Science News

Like all comb jellies, which are not technically jellyfish, bloody-belly comb jellies move by beating the iridescent, hair-like cilia that line their bells.

From Nautilus

Each consists of a very slender curved filament, with a still finer filament, or cilium, arising from it on each side.

From Project Gutenberg

At this stage many of the spores assume each a flagellate cilium, and so acquire power of more rapid locomotion.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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