helix
Pronunciation: /ˈhiːlɪks/
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.
Origin:
mid 16th century (in the architectural sense 'spiral ornament'): via Latin from Greek