Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “cilia” come from?

Cilia comes from Latin cilium, derived from Proto-Indo-European ḱel-yo-m, ultimately from the root ḱel-.

cilia (English): plural of cilium

Definitions

  1. plural of cilium

Ancestry of “cilia”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincilianominative plural of cilium; accusative plural of...
2Latinciliumeyelid; eyelash
3Proto-Italic*keljom—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-yo-m—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanḱel-to cover; to incline

Words derived from “cilia”

  • ciliform
  • ciliferous
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱel- →