nautilus

American  

[nawt-l-uhs, not-] / ˈnɔt l əs, ˈnɒt- /

noun

plural

nautiluses, nautili

1. Also called chambered nautilus, pearly nautilus.  any cephalopod of the genus Nautilus, having a spiral, chambered shell with pearly septa.

2. paper nautilus.

3. (initial capital letter) the first nuclear-powered submarine launched by the U.S. Navy.

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nautilus British  

/ ˈnɔːtɪləs /

noun

1. any cephalopod mollusc of the genus Nautilus, esp the pearly nautilus

2. short for paper nautilus

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Etymology

Origin of nautilus

1595–1605; < Latin < Greek nautílos paper nautilus, literally, sailor, derivative of naûs ship; the webbed dorsal arms of the paper nautilus were thought to have been used as sails

Example Sentences

Agnoli, who worked as a carpenter prior to entering architecture, used long spans of wood to create massive trusses and spiraling nautilus shapesand formed brick into catenary arches.

From Los Angeles Times

The results suggest nautilus shells, orderly yet beguilingly sinuous.

From Washington Post

The storm had twisted the structure's metal roof like a nautilus shell and rolled it out into the street.

From Salon

The last common ancestor of most cephalopods likely had a chambered, pearly shell, not unlike the iconic one worn by the nautilus, a shelled cephalopod that survives to this day.

From New York Times

Next to the glass, a small wooden bookshelf in the shape of a nautilus shell holds a curved spiral of librex.

From Literature