Ciliary
/ˈsɪl.i.ə.ri/noun
Relating to the eyelashes or to the ciliary body of the eye.
Did you know?Ciliary comes from Latin cilium, meaning “eyelid” or “eyelash,” and that same root also gave English the scientific word cilia for hairlike structures that move like tiny living lashes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kel-
“to cover, conceal, or hide”
Latin
Latin
cilium
“eyelid; eyelash”
Late Latin
Latin
ciliārius
“of the eyelid or eyelashes”
Middle English
English
ciliarie
“relating to the eyelids or eyelashes”
Modern English
English
ciliary
“relating to the eyelashes or the ciliary body of the eye”
Explore more surprising origins