Definition of "cilia" [cil•i•a]

• Plural of cilium. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Hamada showed hair-like projections on the embryo called cilia produce a leftward flow of fluid outside the embryo, allowing the embryo to identify its left side."
• "Mutations impede the flow of chloride, causing the mucus to accumulate and impeding the hair-like particles called cilia from beating back and forth to clear out the mucus."
• "For one, the trachea is lined with millions of tiny hairs called cilia that trap any gunk you might have breathed in."