stereocilium

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

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural ster·e·o·cil·i·a [ster-ee-, uh, -, sil, -ee-, uh, steer-].

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.

From The New Yorker