spiral
Use spiral in a sentence
spi·ral
[spahy-ruh
l] noun, adjective, verb, spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or ( especially British ) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling. noun
1.
Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.
2.
a helix.
3.
a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.
4.
a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.
5.
Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a helix of small pitch and large radius, with the angle of attack within that of the normal flight range.
adjective
8.
running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane: a spiral curve.
9.
coiling around a fixed line or axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.
10.
of or of the nature of a spire or coil.
11.
bound with a spiral binding; spiral-bound: a spiral notebook.
00:10
spiral
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is yaff. Does it mean:
| to bark; yelp. |
| to spend time idly; loaf. |
verb (used without object)
12.
to take a spiral form or course.
13.
to advance or increase steadily; rise: Costs have been spiraling all year.
14.
Aeronautics. to fly an airplane through a spiral course.
verb (used with object)
15.
to cause to take a spiral form or course.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To spiral
Collins
World English Dictionary
spiral (ˈspaɪərəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | geometry one of several plane curves formed by a point winding about a fixed point at an ever-increasing distance from it. Polar equation of Archimedes spiral:r = aθ; of logarithmic spiral: log r = aθ; of hyperbolic spiral:rθ = a, (where a is a constant) |
| 2. | another name for helix |
| 3. | something that pursues a winding, usually upward, course or that displays a twisting form or shape |
| 4. | Compare spin a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft descends describing a helix of comparatively large radius with the angle of attack within the normal flight range |
| 5. | economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production |
| —adj | |
| 6. | having the shape of a spiral |
| —vb , -rals, -ralling, -ralled, -rals, -raling, -raled | |
| 7. | to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape |
| 8. | (intr) to increase or decrease with steady acceleration: wages and prices continue to spiral |
| [C16: via French from Medieval Latin spīrālis, from Latin spīra a coil; see | |
| 'spirally | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
spiral
1551, from M.Fr. spiral, from M.L. spiralis "winding, coiling" (1255), from L. spira "coil," from Gk. speira "coil, twist, wreath," from PIE *sper- "to turn, twist." The verb is attested from 1834; the fig. sense is from 1922. The noun is first recorded 1656; U.S. football sense is from 1896. Spiral
galaxy first attested 1913.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
spiral spi·ral (spī'rəl)
adj.
Coiling or developing around an axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical. n.
A structure in the shape of a coil. v. spi·raled or spi·ralled, spi·ral·ing or spi·ral·ling, spi·rals or spi·rals
To take the form or course of a spiral.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia
spiral
plane curve that, in general, winds around a point while moving ever farther from the point. Many kinds of spiral are known, the first dating from the days of ancient Greece. The curves are observed in nature, and human beings have used them in machines and in ornament, notably architectural-for example, the whorl in an Ionic capital. The two most famous spirals are described below.
Learn more about spiral with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
More often, the spiral is discernible only in the whirling organization of interior spaces.
The bride, afraid of tripping down the spiral staircase, entered the parlor from the town house's small elevator.
The narwhal's single, spiral tusk has always been a mystery.
Exhibiting its main defense mechanism, a millipede curls into a tight spiral.
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