Meanings
adjectiveciliate (not comparable)
- not comparableOf or pertaining to the eyelash.
nounciliate (plural ciliates)
plural ciliates
- biologyAny of many protozoa, of the phylum Ciliophora, that have many cilia (fine hairs).
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveof or relating to the human eyelash
Similar
nouna protozoan with a microscopic appendage extending from the surface of the cell
Similar
ciliated protozoanciliophoran
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- New Latinciliātus
- Englishciliate
First attested in 1760; borrowed from New Latin ciliātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and -ate (noun-forming suffix).
More words from New Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Catalan ciliat
- ciliatprotozoan of the class Ciliata
Chinese Mandarin 纖毛蟲 /纤毛虫
- 纖毛蟲 /纤毛虫 (xiānmáochóng)protozoan of the class Ciliata
Dutch trilhaardiertje
- trilhaardiertjeprotozoan of the class Ciliata
Finnish ripsieläin
- ripsieläinprotozoan of the class Ciliata
Greek βλεφαριδοφόρο
- βλεφαριδοφόρο (vlefaridofóro)protozoan of the class Ciliata
Polish orzęsek
- orzęsekprotozoan of the class Ciliata
Russian инфузо́рия
- инфузо́рия (infuzórija)protozoan of the class Ciliata
Spanish ciliado
- ciliadoprotozoan of the class Ciliata
Cite this entry
APA
ciliate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ciliate
MLA
“ciliate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ciliate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ciliate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ciliate.
Source: ciliate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.