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spiral

[spahy-ruhl]

noun

Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.

a helix.

a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.

a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.

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.

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Football. a type of kick or pass in which the ball turns on its longer axis as it flies through the air.

Economics. a continuous increase in costs, wages, prices, etc. (inflationary spiral), or a decrease in costs, wages, prices, etc. (deflationary spiral).

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adjective

running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane: a spiral curve.

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.

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Spiral is one of our favorite verbs.

So is bowdlerise. Does it mean:

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

chat, to converse

LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...

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.

Origin:
1545–55; < Medieval Latin spīrālis, equivalent to Latin spīr(a) coil (< Greek speîra anything coiled, wreathed, or twisted; see spire²) + -ālis -al¹

Related forms

spi·ral·i·ty

[spahy-ral-i-tee] , noun

spi·ral·ly, adverb

mul·ti·spi·ral, adjective

non·spi·ral, adjective, noun

sub·spi·ral, adjective

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sub·spi·ral·ly, adverb

un·spi·ral, adjective

un·spi·ral·ly, adverb

un·spi·raled, adjective

un·spi·ralled, adjective

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To spiral

Example Sentences

The thoroughbred racing industry is in a downward spiral.

So the librarian explained that spiral bond books don't hold up, but fall apart readily.

Fisher showed how such a spiral could turn mere busts into depressions.

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The thoroughbred racing industry is in a downward spiral.

So the librarian explained that spiral bond books don't hold up, but fall apart readily.

Fisher showed how such a spiral could turn mere busts into depressions.

The theory that galaxies are embedded in dark matter stems from the observation of stars in spiral galaxies.

The narwhal's single, spiral tusk has always been a mystery.

It was sweeping around in a spiral whose radius kept growing smaller and smaller.

From sea shells and spiral galaxies to the structure of human lungs, the patterns of chaos are all around us.

At this point it's hard to see how the nation can escape from this death spiral into default.

The downward spiral has brought layoffs, budget cuts, and.

What economists mean by real inflation is, of course, a wage-price spiral and that is not happening.

The spiral fairly hovered above the landscape, its boundaries of piled rock etched in sharp relief.

To do so, the researchers used two specialized laser beams that combined to form a spiral.

The eland is a powerful animal with short horns that spiral out from the head.

The bright spiral galaxy at the center of the image is punching through.

Unlike many drum circles, this drum spiral had a clear hierarchy.

In either case, things can begin to spiral while everyone figures out how to handle such a situation.

It is hard to see how prices could spiral out of control while labour costs remain so subdued.

The new view shows our spiral galaxy as it would look face-on to.

So when the beam emerged it had taken on a spiral form.

Spitzer can also peer through the choking dust in the spiral arms of distant galaxies to see where stars are being born.

We've gotten a little relief in recent days, but the stubborn upward spiral of oil prices isn't going to.

More often, the spiral is discernible only in the whirling organization of interior spaces.

I've used hardback paper journals, spiral notebooks, and online blog versions.

We are not looking at the start of a long upward spiral in interest rates.

Bighorn sheep are famous for their spiral horns and fine footwork.

And they found that a spiral of air develops on top of each falling seed's wing.

Fishing has been in a downward spiral for generations.

Starting at any point where a spoke meets the central loop, start a line which goes out in a spiral towards the outer frame.

The downward spiral can easily become self-sustaining.

Those without, are trapped within a spiral of state cut backs with little to no hope for higher education.

It is too soon to talk of a new protectionist spiral.

The hollow spiral screw designed to move water uphill is still used in some developing countries for irrigation.

In this version, it's a tiny spiral warped away from the surface of the silicon chip.

Up the spiral staircase to a sunroom, the tour ends.

The tubular balance has a spiral spring encased in a long metal tube.

If you opt for this, see if you can either have it spiral bound or get a copy that you aren't emotionally attached.

In contrast with those episodes, the central bank does not now have to counter a home-grown inflationary spiral.

Exhibiting its main defense mechanism, a millipede curls into a tight spiral.

Did the gravity of our galaxy's spiral arms force them into oddball.

Astronomers think the smaller blue galaxy peeking through the spiral arms may have actually punched a hole in the larger galaxy.

Sigurdardottir's spiral construction, with its multiple.

But for the students, defaulting on those loans could lead to a spiral of debt that could ruin their lives.

Without end consumers to drive the economy, the result will be a deflationary spiral.

Beads of dew cling to the florets that spiral inside a sunflower head.

Negative time and dimension is collapsing in a spiral event while positive time is expanding out in a spiral event.

Then the subprime mortgage crisis began to spiral out of control.

The baht fell sharply, triggering a downward spiral of other currencies.

Now repeat each week and watch your productivity spiral upward.

It is still a wonderful and beautiful country, but in a steady spiral of decline.

But in the past decade, it's gone into a death spiral.

The first full turn of the spiral coincided with the element oxygen, and the second full turn occurred at sulfur.

Cars were to drive up the spiral and park along its edges.

Only a political movement strong enough to buck the corporate money determining our tax policy can change this downward spiral.

Astronomy takes care of the here: a planet orbiting a yellow star embedded in one of the spiral arms of the.

Stretchier, stickier silk is used to create the spiral that captures prey.

Richie adds two ounces at a time, each one in an expanding spiral pattern.

The bride, afraid of tripping down the spiral staircase, entered the parlor from the town house's small elevator.

Both narratives have a basis in reality but can spiral into permanent suspicion and antagonism.

There is spare capacity in the economy and no sign that a wage-price spiral is taking hold.

Aurorae occur when charged particles spiral into a planet's atmosphere along magnetic field lines.

The spiral action allows optical features that are omnidirectional rather than unilateral.

The idea was to align a narrow slit in the telescope with one spiral arm of a galaxy many millions of light-years away.

Unfortunately, many of us engage in counterproductive behaviors of this type, that often spiral out of control.

However, this approach can backfire if it triggers a price-cutting spiral.

Contemplative moose appear out of nowhere and busy chipmunks run from one tree to the next, then spiral up the trunk.

Sacabo's friend and artistic collaborator, made the spiral stair railing for.

It didn't spiral out of control and turn into a week-long binge.

Indeed, there is a whiff of panic at some publishing houses as events spiral.

The two spiral galaxies are slated to become one, although the process takes millions of years.

Various bad influences had put her in a downward spiral until she ended up under arrest and facing jail.

Western economies do not have the rigid labour markets and strong trade unions that create a real wage-price spiral.

Previous models had suggested that a single embedded planet would produce a spiral arm on each side of such a disk.

As long as the academy remains that tower with a spiral stair case that goes no where but around and around it will suffer.

Just now the euro zone is caught in a dismal downward spiral.

No wonder the country continues its downward spiral.

If credit markets stay blocked, consumers and firms will enter a vicious spiral.

Their inflation expectations are less stable, so prices can quickly spiral upwards.

There is a risk that public debt will eventually spiral out of control unless taxes are raised or spending cut.

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Collins

World English Dictionary

spiral (ˈspaɪərəl)

—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 spire²]

'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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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

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galaxy first attested 1913.

COLLAPSE

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.

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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Matching Quote

"The whole story of the universe is implicit in any part of it. The meditative eye can look through any single object and see, as through a window, the entire cosmos. Make the smell of roast duck in an old kitchen diaphanous and you will have a glimpse of everything, from the spiral nebulae to Mozart's music and the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi. The artistic problem is to produce diaphanousness in spots, selecting the spots so as to reveal only the most humanly significant of distant vistas behind the near familiar object."

-Aldous Huxley

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