cilium

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈsɪlɪəm/US:USA pronunciation: respellingUSA pronunciation: respelling(sil′ē əm)


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
cil•i•um  (sil′ē əm),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Cell Biologysing. of cilia. 
  • Latin

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
cilium / ˈsɪlɪəm/ ( cilia / ˈsɪlɪə/)
  1. any of the short thread-like projections on the surface of a cell, organism, etc, whose rhythmic beating causes movement of the organism or of the surrounding fluid
  2. the technical name for eyelash
Etymology: 18th Century: New Latin, from Latin: (lower) eyelid, eyelash
'cilium' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Ciliophora - axoneme - basal body - cilia - cnidocil - nine plus two array - seel - stereocilium - superciliary - supercilium

Forum discussions with the word(s) "cilium" in the title:


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