helix
Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
helix /ˈhiːlɪks/
▶noun (pl. helices /ˈhiːlɪsiːz, ˈhɛl-/)
- 1 an 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.
■ Biochemistry an extended spiral chain of atoms in a protein, nucleic acid, or other polymeric molecule.
- 2 Architecture a spiral ornament.
- 3 Anatomy the rim of the external ear.
– origin C16: via L. from Gk.
'helix' also found in these Oxford entries:
Archimedean screw
- double helix
- edible snail
- helical
- helices
- helichrysum
- helicoid
- helicon
- helicopter
- ivy
