helix
a spiral.
Geometry. the curve formed by a straight line drawn on a plane when that plane is wrapped around a cylindrical surface of any kind, especially a right circular cylinder, as the curve of a screw. Equation: x = a sinθ, y = a cosθ, z = b θ.
Architecture.
a spiral ornament.
(in a Corinthian capital) either of two scrolls issuing from a cauliculus.: Compare Corinthian (def. 2).
Anatomy. the curved fold forming most of the rim of the external ear.
Biochemistry. alpha helix.
Origin of helix
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use helix in a sentence
I observed on the beach at this spot some small species of unios, and, at higher points on the shore, helices.
Summary Narrative of an Exploratory Expedition to the Sources of the Mississippi River, in 1820 | Henry Rowe SchoolcraftThere were two helices all right, as an explanation of how Pheola could be right and then wrong.
The Right Time | Walter BuppHelices, and slugs are thus tom apart by bands of carabes who dig them up and dissect them in a boiling of saliva.
The Natural Philosophy of Love | Remy de GourmontThe pitch of the helices of each tooth is very elongated, and reaches about 7.52 m.
When only one of the eight helices was used, the effect was also much diminished.
Experimental Researches in Electricity, Volume 1 | Michael Faraday
British Dictionary definitions for helix
/ (ˈhiːlɪks) /
a curve that lies on a cylinder or cone, at a constant angle to the line segments making up the surface; spiral
a spiral shape or form
the incurving fold that forms the margin of the external ear
another name for volute (def. 2)
any terrestrial gastropod mollusc of the genus Helix, which includes the garden snail (H. aspersa)
Origin of helix
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for helix
[ hē′lĭks ]
A three-dimensional spiral curve. In mathematical terms, a helix can be described as a curve turning about an axis on the surface of a cylinder or cone while rising at a constant upward angle from a base.
Something, such as a strand of DNA, having a spiral shape.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for helix
[ (hee-liks) ]
In geometry, a three-dimensional spiral shape, resembling a spring.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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