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helix

Pronunciation: /ˈhiːlɪks/
Translate helix | into Italian
Definition of helix

noun (plural helices /ˈhiːlɪsiːz, ˈhɛl-/)

  • 1an object having a three-dimensional shape like that of a wire wound uniformly in a single layer around a cylinder or cone, as in a corkscrew or spiral staircase.
  • Geometry a curve on a conical or cylindrical surface which would become a straight line if the surface were unrolled into a plane.
  • Biochemistry an extended spiral chain of atoms in a protein, nucleic acid, or other polymeric molecule.
  • Architecture a spiral ornament.
  • 2 Anatomy the rim of the external ear.

Origin:

mid 16th century (in the architectural sense 'spiral ornament'): via Latin from Greek

helix in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of helix in the US English dictionary
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