cilium

Borrowed from Latin cilium (“eyelid”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈsɪl.i.əm/
• Rhymes: -ɪliəm

cilium (plural cilia)

1. (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.

   Hyponym: primary cilium

2. (entomology) One of the fine hairs along an insect's wing.
3. (botany) Hairs or similar protrusions along the margin of an organ.
4. (anatomy) An eyelash.

eyelashes (cilia)

• ciliolum

• supercilium

• flagellum

• “cilium”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “cilium”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

From Proto-Italic *keljom, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-yo-m, which is derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover”). Alternatively compare Ancient Greek κῠ́λᾱ (kúlā, “the parts under the eyes”) (though Beekes doubts this connection and derives the latter from Pre-Greek).

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈki.li.um/, [ˈkɪlʲiʊ̃ˑ]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃi.li.um/, [ˈt͡ʃiːlium]

cilium n (genitive ciliī or cilī); second declension

1. (anatomy) eyelid

   Synonym: palpebra

   1. (transferred sense) lower eyelid

      Antonym: supercilium

2. (Medieval Latin, usually in the plural) eyelash

   Synonym: palpebra

Second-declension noun (neuter).

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

• ciliāris (adjective)
• intercilium
• supercilium

(Several via the plural cilia.)

• Dalmatian:
  • čeja
• Italo-Romance:
  • Italian: ciglio
  • Sicilian: cigghiu, gigghiu
• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: chizu, cillu, chiza
• North Italian:
  • Friulian: cee
  • Istriot: sia
  • Lombard: zida
  • Romagnol: zida
  • Romansch: tschegl
  • Venetian: segia, zheja, cegia, çéi
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Catalan: cella
  • Old French: cil, cille
    • French: cil
  • Occitan: cilh, celh, cilha, celha
• Ibero-Romance:
  • Aragonese: zella
  • Asturian: ceya
  • Galician: cella
  • Portuguese: celha
  • Spanish: ceja, cejo
• Borrowings:
  • → English: cilium
  • → Ido: cilio
  • → Portuguese: cílio
  • → Romanian: ciliu
  • → Spanish: cilio
  • → Swedish: cilie

• Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “cĭlium”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2: C Q K, page 627

• “cilium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• cilium in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
• cilium in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎, pre-publication website, 2005-2016