eyelashes

An eyelash (also called lash) (Neo-Latin: cilium, plural cilia) is one of the hairs that grows at the edges of the top and bottom eyelids, spanning outwards and away from the eyes. The lashes grow in up to six layers on each of the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelashes serve to protect the eye from debris, dust, and small particles, and are highly sensitive to touch, thus providing a warning that an object (such as an insect or lint) is near the eye, which then reflexively closes or flutters to rid the area of the object. The eyelid margin from which lashes grow is among the most sensitive parts of the human body, with many nerve endings enveloping the roots of the lashes, giving it sensitivity to very light tactile input even at the tips of the lashes, enabling it to trigger the blink reflex when touched. Eyelashes are also an important component of physical attractiveness, with long prominent lashes giving the illusion of large, gazing eyes, and drawing attention to the eyes.

== Etymology == The word eyelash is a compound consisting of the words eye, referring to the eye which the lashes surround and protect; and lash, referring to the braided cord of a whip or to the act of stroking with a whip. This is in reference to both the individual lashes resembling whips, and the action of blinking the eyes causing the lashes to move in a stroking or whipping motion.