helix

American  

[hee-liks] / ˈhi lɪks /

noun

• helices,
  plural
• helixes
  plural

1. a spiral.

2. 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.

3. Architecture.

   1. a spiral ornament.

   2. (in a Corinthian capital) either of two scrolls issuing from a cauliculus.

4. Anatomy. the curved fold forming most of the rim of the external ear.

5. Biochemistry. alpha helix.

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helix British  

/ ˈhiːlɪks /

noun

1. a curve that lies on a cylinder or cone, at a constant angle to the line segments making up the surface; spiral

2. a spiral shape or form

3. the incurving fold that forms the margin of the external ear

4. another name for volute

5. any terrestrial gastropod mollusc of the genus Helix, which includes the garden snail ( H. aspersa )

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helix Scientific  

/ hē′lĭks /

1. 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.

2. Something, such as a strand of DNA, having a spiral shape.

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helix Cultural  

1. In geometry, a three-dimensional spiral shape, resembling a spring.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• helices
  plural
• helixes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of helix

1555–65; < Latin: a spiral, a kind of ivy < Greek hélix anything twisted; compare helíssein to turn, twist, roll

Explanation

A helix is a twisted, spiral shape, like a corkscrew. In math, a helix is defined as "a curve in three-dimensional space." If you have ever seen a spiral staircase, you can envision the shape of a helix. To picture the shape of a helix, imagine the coil of a spring inside a sofa, or the shape the threads of a screw make, curling in a spiral. When you hear the word helix, you may think of a double helix, which resembles two interconnected spirals and describes the shape of human DNA. In both Latin and Greek, helix means "spiral" or "spiral-shaped thing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

helix helices helixes

We transformed the Supreme Court’s “Nothing to see here” into an avowal of the freedom to marry under the Constitution’s double helix of liberty and equality for all.

From Slate ● Aug. 3, 2026

Each double helix contains vast arrays of chemical subunits that function like the zeroes and ones in a computer program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026

You can look at friendship as a journey that is like a double helix: Sometimes you and a friend will be in sync financially or emotionally, and other times you’ll be out of alignment.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 28, 2026

Electric current flowed more easily in one direction, and the effect could be reversed by changing the magnetization or switching the handedness of the helix.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2026

Even more exciting, this type of double helix suggested a replication scheme much more satisfactory than my briefly considered like-with-like pairing.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson

By comparing helices of different sizes and measuring their behavior at various temperatures, the researchers traced the diode effect to uneven scattering of electrons along the curved, chiral walls of the devices.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 25, 2026

“But I think the most surprising observation was that the proteins were embedded among the RNA helices, penetrating into the interior of the ribosome like tentacles.”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 11, 2018

For one thing, it draws a brilliant, eclectic crowd: I met a linguist turned classical musician, a minimalist sculptor fascinated by helices and a Jungian writer at work on a dystopian novel.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 19, 2018

Lehn cited an example of two kinds of molecules, one of which forms double helices and the other forms triple helices.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 3, 2013

Doric columns are the strongest and simplest, Corinthian ones are the lightest and most ornate, adorned with rows of acanthus leaves giving rise to graceful volutes and helices.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

The best designs were made of three helixes connected like sausage links by short strings of amino acids.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 22, 2021

For now, these protein helixes can’t convey genetic information that cells can read.

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 21, 2016

But Mariana Medina-Sánchez, one of the researchers, cautioned that further research is needed to make sure the helixes aren’t harmful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 22, 2016

Crick, who saw a photo only of Dr. Franklin’s B form, immediately recognized that DNA consisted of two parallel helixes, or twisted chains, running in opposite directions.

From New York Times ● Sep. 29, 2010

All of the papers fold themselves into elaborate shapes: pyramids and helixes and paper birds with rustling wings.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory