spiral staircase

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noun

a staircase constructed around a central axis

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!

Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!

Question 1 of 7

Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?

First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.

First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.

First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby spiral staircase

spiral line, spiral nebula, spiral of Archimedes, spiral organ, spiral spring, spiral staircase, spiral valve, spiral vein of modiolus, spirant, spirantize, spire

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

Example sentences from the Web for spiral staircase

The now-convicted felons will hear their sentences in January, but their story continues to spiral downward.
2014 Was a Delectably Good Year for Sleaze|Patricia Murphy|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I gingerly walked down the center staircase and out into what was a chilly, sunny October morning.
I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything|Liz Seccuro|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The camera dollied backward along the length of the tower's staircase while simultaneously its lens zoomed forward.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Fade to Black: The Great Director’s Final Days|David Freeman|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This downward spiral involving local power politics was obvious to the Americans in the valley.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Without those subsidies, the worst-case scenario has Obamacare entering a fiscal death spiral.
A Reminder: Our Justices are Politicians in Robes|Jedediah Purdy|November 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A tall phantom in livery appeared, as if by magic, and signed to me to ascend the grand staircase.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
The clerks had not arrived yet, and he beguiled the time by looking out of the staircase window.
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2)|Charles Dickens
By the last-mentioned staircase access is obtained by the general public to the Council Chamber.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
When we got to the house we entered an obscure corridor and began to find our way up a dark and narrow staircase.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
A few moments later she joined Gwynne at the foot of the staircase, and they went out to the woods.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

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