ˌsilēˈād.ə noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from cilium + -ata — more at cilia
: a large class (commonly divided into the subclasses Protociliata and Euciliata) of chiefly free-living and holozoic protozoans distinguished by possession of cilia or cirri throughout the vegetative stages of the life cycle and usually having nuclei of two kinds