volute

[ vuh-loot ]

noun

1. a spiral or twisted formation or object.
2. Architecture. a spiral ornament, found especially in the capitals of the Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite orders.
3. Carpentry. a horizontal scrolled termination to the handrail of a stair.
4. Zoology.
   1. a turn or whorl of a spiral shell.
   2. any of various tropical marine gastropods of the family Volutidae, many species of which have shells prized for their coloration.
5. the spiral casing surrounding the impeller of a centrifugal pump.

adjective

1. having a volute or rolled-up form.
2. Machinery.
   1. spirally shaped or having a part so shaped.
   2. moving in a circular way, especially if combined with a lateral motion.

volute

/ ˈvɒljuːt; vəˈluːt /

noun

1. a spiral or twisting turn, form, or object; spiral; whorl
2. Also calledhelix a carved ornament, esp as used on an Ionic capital, that has the form of a spiral scroll
3. any of the whorls of the spirally coiled shell of a snail or similar gastropod mollusc
4. any tropical marine gastropod mollusc of the family Volutidae, typically having a spiral shell with beautiful markings
5. 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

1. having the form of a volute; spiral
2. machinery moving in a spiral path

Other Words From

• vo·luted adjective
• vo·lution noun
• inter·vo·lute adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of volute¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French or directly from Latin volūta “a scroll,” feminine noun use of volūtus, past participle of volvere “to turn”; revolve

Word History and Origins

Origin of volute¹

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

Example Sentences

The stupa, with all its primordial power, sits behind an ornate gateway, or torana, whose sculpted beams undulate, their playfulness culminating in whorled volutes, reminiscent of Ionic capitals.

From New York Times

At the tops of some of the memorial’s ionic columns, curlicues called volutes have been anchored with wire, because stone has fallen in years past, Tepper said.

From Washington Post

A long pointer, emerging from the area of no light beside the screen, rests on the volutes and helices, indicating which is which.

From Literature

Give the nautilus itself to a mathematician, and he will show you that one secret of its gracefulness lies in its following in its volute or whorl a particular geometrical curve with rigid precision.

From Project Gutenberg

Sometimes the term “volute” is given to the angle helix, which is incorrect, as it is of a different design and rises from the same stalk as the central helices.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• streamer