stereocilium

[ster-ee-uh-sil-ee-uhm, steer-]

noun

Anatomy.

plural

stereocilia 

1. any of the long, flexible microvilli that superficially resemble cilia and occur as a brush border or series of tufts on the surface of various epithelial tissues.

Word History and Origins

Origin of stereocilium¹

From New Latin; stereo-, cilium

Example Sentences

A hair-cell stereocilium is almost impossible to glimpse with an optical microscope, because it’s only as wide as the smallest wavelength of visible light.

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