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

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Etymology

Origin of helix

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

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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

Still, Harper and Yasmin’s existences are inextricably linked, gnarled together in a helix of favors and bargains.

From Salon ● Mar. 1, 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

It is shaped like a ladder twisted into a helix, the rungs available in four different molecular parts, which constitute the four letters of the genetic code.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Inspired by nature, nanotechnology researchers have identified 'spontaneous curvature' as the key factor determining how ultra-thin, artificial materials can transform into useful tubes, twists and helices.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 4, 2024

Collins: You’re talking about genetic determinism, which implies that we are helpless marionettes being controlled by strings made of double helices.

From Scientific American ● May 20, 2020

“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

Watson and Crick proposed that each DNA strand was used to generate a copy of itself—thereby generating two double helices from the original double helix.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

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

From Scientific American ● Jun. 22, 2021

Profundities leap out from the business of an ordinary day in this experimental novel, told in helixes of text meant to immerse the reader in the protagonist’s thoughts.

From New York Times ● Sep. 3, 2020

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

From Science Magazine ● Jul. 21, 2016

He bends thin strips of wood into arrangements that suggest waves, helixes, musical notation and basket-weaving gone wild.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 13, 2016

The currency of evolution is neither hunger nor pain, but rather copies of DNA helixes.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

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