1. A small, cylindrical organelle found in cells that serves as the base or anchor point for cilia and flagella; also called a basal body or centriole.
Usage: technical; biology

Examples

• The kinetosome is located at the base of each cilium in the cell.
• Under the electron microscope, scientists observed the kinetosome's characteristic nine-fold symmetry.
• Kinetosomes play a crucial role in organizing the microtubules that form cilia.
• The kinetosome acts as a nucleation center for ciliary growth.
• In protozoans, kinetosomes help coordinate the beating of multiple cilia.