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ciliary

American  
[sil-ee-er-ee] / ˈsɪl iˌɛr i /

adjective

  1. Anatomy. noting or pertaining to various anatomical structures in or about the eye.

  2. pertaining to cilia.


ciliary British  
/ ˈsɪlɪərɪ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to cilia

  2. of or relating to the ciliary body

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of ciliary

First recorded in 1685–95; cili(a) + -ary

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.

See Examples For:

This region, known as the "ciliary marginal zone," is believed to support continuous eye growth, a pattern now also observed in the bristleworm retina.

From Science Daily Dec. 2, 2025

In which part of the human body would you find the ciliary muscle?

From Slate Nov. 9, 2023

And scientists suspect that some forms of retinal degeneration, which can cause blindness, stem from malfunctioning ciliary genes, too, because “the photoreceptors of the eye are in fact just modified cilia,” Satir says.

From Scientific American Dec. 10, 2014

The anterior cavity is the space between the cornea and lens, including the iris and ciliary body.

From Textbooks Jun. 19, 2013

Secondary cataract is due to abnormalities in the nutrient matter supplied to the lens owing to disease of the ciliary body, choroid or retina.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various

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