cilia

ci·li·a
C3I1L1I1A1
/ˈsɪ.li.ə/

A form of cilium — 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.

OriginLatin cilia →
UncommonScrabble 7
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Meanings

noun
  1. pluralplural of cilium

Origin

  1. Latincilia
  2. Englishcilia

From Latin cilia; by surface analysis, cili(um) + -a.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with cilia

pedophiliahaemophilianecrophiliaphiliacoprophiliajuveniliaklismaphiliaandrophiliaaptophiliaaquaphiliaasphyxiophiliaautoandrogynemorphophiliaautoandrophiliaautogynandromorphophiliaautogynephiliaautonepiophiliabibliophiliabiophiliaclaustrophiliadiscophiliaephebophiliaeproctophiliageophiliagerontophilia
All rhymes →

Sounds the same

sillier (non-rhotic)

Anagrams

iliac
Cite this entry
APA

cilia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cilia

MLA

“cilia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cilia. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cilia,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cilia.

Source: cilia on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.