cilium

cil·i·um

noun \ˈsi-lē-əm\

plural cil·ia \-lē-ə\

Definition of CILIUM

1

: a minute short hairlike process often forming part of a fringe; especially : one on a cell that is capable of lashing movement and serves especially in free unicellular organisms to produce locomotion or in higher forms a current of fluid

2

: eyelash

Origin of CILIUM

New Latin, from Latin, eyelid; akin to Latin celare to conceal — more at hell

First Known Use: 1794

Rhymes with CILIUM

ileum, ilium, Ilium, milium, psyllium, trillium

cil·i·um

noun \ˈsil-ē-əm\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; cil·ia \-ē-ə\ (audio pronunciation)

Medical Definition of CILIUM

1

: eyelash

2

: a minute short hairlike process often forming part of a fringe; especially : one of a cell that is capable of lashing movement and serves especially in free unicellular organisms to produce locomotion or in higher forms a current of fluid

cilium

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Short, eyelashlike filament that is numerous on tissue cells of most animals. Capable of beating in unison, cilia perform a variety of functions, including providing the means of locomotion for some protozoans, moving mammalian ova (eggs) through oviducts, generating water currents to carry food and oxygen past the gills of clams, and cleaning debris from mammalian respiratory systems. Like a flagellum, a cilium has a central core consisting of two central microtubules surrounded by an outer ring of nine double fibres. Ciliary outgrowth is controlled by the basal body, located just inside the cell surface at the base of the cilium. Beneath the surface of some cells is a network of microtubular bundles that may coordinate ciliary beating.