Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

cilium

/ˈsɪl.i.əm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.71 in modern English

Syllables: cil-i-um
IPA: /ˈsɪl.i.əm/

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

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.

noun

One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.

noun

One of the hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of an organ.

noun

Example Sentences

"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."
"The clockwise beating of cilia results in a net flow of extraembryonic fluid leftwards […]"

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- Proto-Indo-European *-yom Proto-Indo-European *ḱelyom Proto-Italic *keljom Latin ciliumbor. English cilium Borrowed from Latin cilium (“eyelid”).

Inflected Forms

cilia (plural)

Derived Forms

ciliary Ciliate kinocilium macrocilium monociliate monocilium pseudocilium stereocilium uniciliate

Phrases

cilio-

Frequently Paired Words

supercilium flagellum

Synonyms

eyelash lash

Rhymes With

william ilium ileum supercilium milium reptilium pileum kinocilium suprailium subilium

Questions

How do you pronounce cilium?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈsɪl.i.əm/.
What does cilium mean?: 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.
Where does cilium come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- Proto-Indo-European *-yom Proto-Indo-European *ḱelyom Proto-Italic *keljom Latin ciliumbor. English cilium Borrowed from Latin cilium (“eyelid”).

How to pronounce cilium

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