cilia

American

[sil-ee-uh] / ˈsɪl i ə /

plural noun

singular

cilium

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.

cilia British

/ ˈsɪlɪə /

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

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.

Scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered that cells can also use the cell cycle to control how they sprout hair-like projections called cilia.

From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2024

To make the cilia, the researchers introduce the magnetic microparticles into a polymer dissolved in a liquid.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

However, existing magnetic cilia move in a fixed way.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

Magnetic cilia -- artificial hairs whose movement is powered by embedded magnetic particles -- have been around for a while, and are of interest for applications in soft robotics, transporting objects and mixing liquids.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

The centrioles, which hoist the microtubules on which chromosomes are strung for mitosis, are similar separate creatures; when not busy with mitosis, they become the basal bodies to which cilia are attached.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

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