A tiny hair-like structure that sticks out from the surface of many cells and beats to move fluids or help the cell move through liquid.
From Latin cilium, meaning 'eyelid,' because these structures were thought to resemble eyelashes. The connection is visual—they look like tiny lashes on the cell surface.
Your respiratory system is lined with millions of cilia that beat in synchronized waves like a stadium crowd doing 'the wave'—when you get a cold, viruses literally jam up these cleaning crews and make you cough.
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