volute

[ vuh-loot ]

/ vəˈlut /

noun

a spiral or twisted formation or object.

Architecture. a spiral ornament, found especially in the capitals of the Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite orders.

Carpentry. a horizontal scrolled termination to the handrail of a stair.

Zoology.

a turn or whorl of a spiral shell.
any of various tropical marine gastropods of the family Volutidae, many species of which have shells prized for their coloration.

the spiral casing surrounding the impeller of a volute pump.

adjective

having a volute or rolled-up form.

Machinery.

spirally shaped or having a part so shaped.
moving in a circular way, especially if combined with a lateral motion.

Nearby words

volunteers in service to america, volunteers of america, voluntourism, voluptuary, voluptuous, volute, volute spring, volutin, volution, volva, volvelle

Origin of volute

1690–1700; (< F) < Latin volūta, feminine of volūtus, past participle of volvere to turn. See revolve

Related forms

vo·lut·ed, adjectivevo·lu·tion, nounin·ter·vo·lute, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for volutes

Others are strings of large beads of gold, decorated with volutes, knots and other patterns of wire soldered over the surfaces.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 3|Various
The difficult transition from the end of the shaft to the volutes was evaded, and masked by anthemions or other ornaments.
History of Ancient Art|Franz von Reber
The Ionic volutes on the corner capitals of this temple are in the later style, while the side capitals are in the usual style.
Old Rome|Robert Burn
The volutes and the centre block are common features of Early Norman capitals, but the foliage is rare.
Cassell's History of England, Vol. I (of 9)|Anonymous

There seems to have been no distinction in the direction of the volutes, they turning indifferently to the right or to the left.
The Swastika|Thomas Wilson

British Dictionary definitions for volutes

volute

/ (ˈvɒljuːt, vəˈluːt) /

noun

a spiral or twisting turn, form, or object; spiral; whorl

Also called: helix a carved ornament, esp as used on an Ionic capital, that has the form of a spiral scroll

any of the whorls of the spirally coiled shell of a snail or similar gastropod mollusc

any tropical marine gastropod mollusc of the family Volutidae, typically having a spiral shell with beautiful markings

a tangential part, resembling the volute of a snail's shell, that collects the fluids emerging from the periphery of a turbine, impeller pump, etc

adjective also: voluted (vəˈluːtɪd)

having the form of a volute; spiral

machinery moving in a spiral path

Word Origin for volute

C17: from Latin volūta a spiral decoration, from volūtus rolled, from volvere to roll up

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

volute

noun

adjective

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of volute

Related forms

Examples from the Web for volutes

British Dictionary definitions for volutes

volute

noun

adjective also: voluted (vəˈluːtɪd)

Word Origin for volute

Medicine definitions for volutes

volute

adj.