helicoid

[ hel-i-koid, hee-li- ]
See synonyms for helicoid on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. coiled or curving like a spiral.

noun
  1. Geometry. a warped surface generated by a straight line moving so as to cut or touch a fixed helix.

Origin of helicoid

1
First recorded in 1690–1700, helicoid is from the Greek word helikoeidḗs of spiral form. See helic-, -oid

Other words from helicoid

  • hel·i·coi·dal, adjective
  • hel·i·coi·dal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby helicoid

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British Dictionary definitions for helicoid

helicoid

/ (ˈhɛlɪˌkɔɪd) /


adjectivealso: helicoidal
  1. biology shaped like a spiral: a helicoid shell

noun
  1. geometry any surface resembling that of a screw thread

Derived forms of helicoid

  • helicoidally, adverb

Collins 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 helicoid

helicoid

[ hĕlĭ-koid′, hēlĭ- ]


Adjective
  1. Arranged in or having the approximate shape of a flattened coil or spiral curve.

Noun
  1. A surface in the form of a coil or screw. A helicoid is generated mathematically by rotating a plane or twisted curve about an axis at a fixed rate and simultaneously translating it in the direction of the line of axis, also at a fixed rate.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.