supercilium

C2+ Topic:Space, Position & Direction

US /ˌsupɚˈsɪliəm/ UK /ˌsuːpəˈsɪliəm/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the eyebrow, or a stripe of feathers above a bird's eye

The warbler is identified by its bold white supercilium.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the eyebrow, or a stripe of... eyebrow browbrow-stripe

Word family

Forms superciliary

Derived forms supercilia

Related forms supercilious

Etymology

From Latin supercilium ('eyebrow', also 'haughtiness, pride'), from super- ('above') + cilium ('eyelid, lower eyelid').

supercilium Latin cilium Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Space, Position & Direction

External links

# supercilium

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌsupɚˈsɪliəm/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌsuːpəˈsɪliəm/

## Meanings
1. the eyebrow, or a stripe of feathers above a bird's eye

## Examples
- The warbler is identified by its bold white supercilium.

## Synonyms
- eyebrow
- brow
- brow-stripe

## Derived Forms
- supercilia

## Related Forms
- supercilious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: supercilium
- Root: cilium

## Etymology
From Latin supercilium ('eyebrow', also 'haughtiness, pride'), from super- ('above') + cilium ('eyelid, lower eyelid').

## AI Etymology
Supercilium is from Latin supercilium ('eyebrow', also 'haughtiness, pride'), from super- ('above') + cilium ('eyelid, lower eyelid'). Important recorded forms include supercilium (Latin) and cilium (Latin). Morphologically, the super- element contributes the sense of above, beyond, extra degree, or excess, while the base carries the central meaning. The modern sense continues the older lexical line without requiring a separate origin. In current use it covers the eyebrow, or a stripe of feathers above a bird's eye. The wider family includes derived forms such as supercilia and related words such as supercilious.

## Topics
- Space, Position & Direction

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