pilus C2 Topic:Science & Research US /ˈpaɪləs/ UK /ˈpaɪləs/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun A hair. In anatomical Latin and technical English, a pilus is a single hair. 2 noun A hairlike appendage found on the cell surface of many bacteria. A bacterial pilus can help a cell attach to a surface. Thesaurus Synonyms 2 noun · a hairlike appendage found... fimbria Word family Forms pili Derived forms pilinpseudopilus Related forms flagellum Etymology Borrowed from Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pile. Topics Science & Research External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # pilus **Type:** Word **Level:** C2 **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈpaɪləs/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈpaɪləs/ ## Meanings 1. A hair. 2. A hairlike appendage found on the cell surface of many bacteria. ## Examples - In anatomical Latin and technical English, a pilus is a single hair. - A bacterial pilus can help a cell attach to a surface. ## Synonyms - fimbria ## Derived Forms - pilin - pseudopilus ## Related Forms - flagellum ## Etymology Borrowed from Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pile. ## Topics - Science & Research markdown