small hairlike processes extending from certain plant cells and forming a fringe, as on the edges of some leaves
3. Zoology
short, hairlike outgrowths of certain cells, usually capable of rhythmic beating that can produce locomotion and feeding currents, as in protozoans or small worms, or the movement of fluids, as in the ducts of higher forms
Word origin
L, pl. of cilium, eyelid; akin to celare: see conceal; (sense 2) ModL