cilia

[sil-ee-uh]

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plural noun, singular cil·i·um [sil-ee-uh m] /ˈsɪl i əm/.

Biology. minute hairlike organelles, identical in structure to flagella, that line the surfaces of certain cells and beat in rhythmic waves, providing locomotion to ciliate protozoans and moving liquids along internal epithelial tissue in animals.

Anatomy. the eyelashes.

Origin of cilia

1705–15; New Latin, plural of cilium eyelash, Latin: upper eyelid, perhaps a back formation from supercilium eyebrow; see supercilium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for cilia

grain, thread, tissue, wig, hairstyle, grass, fur, haircut, fiber, wool, strand, eyebrow, mane, cord, web, grit, string, warp, tooth, hair

Examples from the Web for cilia

Contemporary Examples of cilia

Attorney Cilia Flores, the first lady, is actually called “First Fighter.”
Venezuela’s Agony: Weak President, Strong Generals, Riots and Cocaine
Marcel Ventura
April 14, 2014

Historical Examples of cilia

The hind-wings are grey; the cilia are white with a cloudy line.
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies
G. V. Hudson
The hind-wings are dull brownish-grey, with the cilia paler.
New Zealand Moths and Butterflies
G. V. Hudson
Some of the cilia are used for running or swimming, others for grasping or touching, and so on.
The Wonders of Life
Ernst Haeckel
It is by means of these cilia that the animal moves through the water.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide
Augusta Foote Arnold
The Protozoan swims by the vibration of these cilia in the water.
Elementary Zoology, Second Edition
Vernon L. Kellogg

British Dictionary definitions for cilia

cilia

noun

the plural of cilium

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cilia

1715, from Latin cilia, plural of cilium "eyelid, eyelash," perhaps related to celare "to cover, hide," from PIE root *kel- "to conceal" (see cell), but words for this part of the face can be tricky (see brow). It sometimes is pluralized in English, which is an error. Related: Ciliated; ciliary; ciliate.

cilia in Science

cilium

[sĭl′ē-əm]

Plural cilia

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.