Cilium
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈsɪl.i.əm/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Cilium is a noun meaning (entomology) One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.
Meaning
(entomology) One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.
More Meanings
- (botany) One of the hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of an organ.
- (anatomy) An eyelash.
- (cytology) A short microscopic hairlike organelle projecting from a eukaryotic cell (such as a unicellular organism or one cell of a multicelled organism) which serve either for propulsion by causing currents in the surrounding fluid or as sensors.
Example Sentences
The clockwise beating of cilia results in a net flow of extraembryonic fluid leftwards […]
It is the deeper parts of such cells which give rise to delicate muscular fibres or networks of fibres, while the superficially placed body of the cell myoblast), the part which produces the above, performs other functions, and usually bears a cilium.
Word Forms
- cilia
Synonyms for cilium
Depending on context, synonyms include eyelash.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include eyelash, hair, vibratile, lash, ciliature, kinocilium.
Related Dictionary Tools
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.