cnidocil

[ nahy-duh-sil ]

noun

, Zoology.

1. a hairlike sensory process projecting from the surface of a cnidoblast, believed to trigger the discharge of the nematocyst.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cnidocil¹

1880–85; cnido- + -cil < New Latin cilium; cilia

Example Sentences

In some cases a small hair-like process, the trigger hair or cnidocil, may be seen projecting above the surface of the cell.

From Project Gutenberg