stereocilium

American

[ster-ee-uh-sil-ee-uhm, steer-] / ˌstɛr i əˈsɪl i əm, ˌstɪər- /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

stereocilia

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.

Etymology

Origin of stereocilium

From New Latin; stereo-, cilium

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.

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.

From The New Yorker

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023