helix

[ hee-liks ]

noun

, plural hel·i·ces [hel, -, uh, -seez], he·lix·es.

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. Compare Corinthian ( def 2 ).
4. Anatomy. the curved fold forming most of the rim of the external ear.
5. Biochemistry. alpha helix.

helix

/ 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 )

helix

/ 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.

helix

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of helix¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of helix¹

C16: from Latin, from Greek: spiral; probably related to Greek helissein to twist

Example Sentences

More than seven decades later, mathematician Robert Monjo believes he has discovered a similarly significant double helix — but this time not as the structure of human DNA, but as the structure of spacetime itself.

From Salon

The enigma emerged in the 1950s, when biologists discovered that the double helix of DNA encodes genes.

From New York Times

Functional analysis based on these structures also revealed how a "prime editor" could achieve reverse transcription, synthesizing DNA from RNA, without "cutting" both strands of the double helix.

From Science Daily

One protein targets the DNA of plasmids with remarkable accuracy, and a complementary enzyme shreds the DNA of the plasmid, unwinding the helix of the DNA moving in opposite directions.

From Science Daily

Notably, unlike conventional GPCRs, GPR156 exhibits flexibility in altering the structure of the seventh helix as it traverses the cell membrane, thereby facilitating binding with G-proteins and orchestrating signal activation to detect sound.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• arc
• arch
• contour
• loop
• trajectory