ciliate

noun

cil·​i·​ate ˈsi-lē-ət  -lē-ˌāt 

: any of a phylum or subphylum (Ciliophora) of ciliated protozoans (such as paramecia)

Examples of ciliate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

After a final sequence of emergences and contractions, the ciliate eventually got fed up, pulled up stakes and swam away, presumably looking for a less noxious place to settle down. —Claire L. Evans, Quanta Magazine, 30 July 2025

And the idea is of interest beyond the Caribbean as well, now that another Diadema species in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean is also being pummeled by a ciliate. —Lisa S. Gardiner, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Aug. 2024

Rudek regularly dipped the stars in an iodine solution to kill a group of parasites called ciliates that scar the skin and slow the healing process. —Dino Grandoni, Anchorage Daily News, 5 Mar. 2023

Ciliates are considered the most evolved and complex of protozoans, and there are over 8,000 different ciliate species. —Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 9 Dec. 2015

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ciliate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Kids Definition

ciliate

noun

cil·​i·​ate ˈsil-ē-ət 

-ˌāt

: any of a group of protozoans that have cilia

Medical Definition

ciliate

noun

cil·​i·​ate ˈsil-ē-ət, -ē-ˌāt 

: any of a phylum or subphylum (Ciliophora) of ciliated protozoans (such as paramecia)