What it means
Microscopic hairs that beat together to move fluid or particles along a surface. In the airways, cilia sweep mucus and trapped dust and germs up toward the throat to be coughed out or swallowed. In the fallopian tubes they help move the egg toward the uterus. Smoking slows and damages the cilia of the airways, so mucus builds up. The singular is cilium.
At a glance
| Spanish | cilios |
|---|---|
| Also written | cilium |
Related terms
trachea
The windpipe: the tube that carries air from the throat to the lungs.
airway
The passages that carry air into and out of the lungs, from the nose and mouth to the smallest air tubes.
bronchiole
One of the smallest airways in the lungs, branching from the bronchi and leading to the air sacs.