cilia
Americanplural noun
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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.
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Anatomy. the eyelashes.
noun
Etymology
Origin of cilia
1705–15; New Latin, plural of cilium eyelash, Latin: upper eyelid, perhaps a back formation from supercilium eyebrow; see supercilium
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.
On 3 January, just hours after Van Dyke's last alleged bet, US President Donald Trump announced the overnight capture of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
When DEA agents flew Nicolás Maduro to New York to face narcoterrorism charges, beside him was his wife, Cilia Flores.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
It began in earnest on Jan. 3 when the U.S. military attacked Venezuela and abducted President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
From Salon • Feb. 5, 2026
Cilia are tiny hair like structures that help move mucus and trapped particles out of the lungs.
From Science Daily • Jan. 22, 2026
Cilia went to work packing the silver, and she built up a little fire on the kitchen hearth so she might have hot water to wash the dishes.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
