ciliary

adjective

cil·​i·​ary ˈsi-lē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce ciliary (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or being the annular suspension of the lens of the eye
2
: of or relating to cilia

Examples of ciliary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But his profile lists several medical reports of children born with rare genetic diseases, including tuberous sclerosis and primary ciliary dyskenesia. Katie Camero, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 Atropine paralyzes the ciliary muscle, which controls the size of the pupil and, for reasons scientists haven’t yet pinned down, also seems to slow down the progression of myopia. Amit Katwala, WIRED, 22 Aug. 2023 In addition to situs inversus, she was also born with primary ciliary dyskinesia, another rare condition that prevents cilia -- small hair-like structures that line the airways -- from moving mucus out, causing the mucus to build up. Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2023 Skimping on sleep tires out the ciliary muscle, which helps your eyes focus. Rachel Swalin, Health, 6 Aug. 2023 ReCode grew out of UT Southwestern research into using nonviral lipid nanoparticles and messenger RNA to treat cystic fibrosis and primary ciliary dyskinesia. Dallas News, 12 Jan. 2022 Vortical ciliary flows actively enhance mass transport in reef corals. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 5 Sep. 2014 The ciliary mixing enhances mass transport near the surface. Discover Magazine, 6 Feb. 2014 Their centimeter-wide chip is carpeted with about a thousand tiny platinum-titanium strips, divided into 16 ciliary units of 64 cilia each. Saugat Bolakhe, Scientific American, 11 July 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ciliary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ciliary was in 1691

Dictionary Entries Near ciliary

Cite this Entry

“Ciliary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ciliary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ciliary

adjective
cil·​i·​ary ˈsil-ē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce ciliary (audio)
1
: of or relating to cilia
ciliary movement
2
: of, relating to, or being the muscular body supporting the lens of the eye
ciliary muscles

Medical Definition

ciliary

adjective
cil·​i·​ary ˈsil-ē-ˌer-ē How to pronounce ciliary (audio)
1
: of or relating to cilia
ciliary movement
2
: of, relating to, or being the annular suspension of the lens of the eye
a ciliary arteriole
ciliary spasm
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!