helix

noun

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he·lix | \ ˈhē-liks

plural helices\ ˈhe-lə-ˌsēz

, ˈhē- \ also helixes\ ˈhē-lik-səz

Definition of helix

1 : something spiral in form: such as

a : an ornamental volute

b : a coil formed by winding wire around a uniform tube

2 : the incurved rim of the external ear

3 : a curve traced on a cylinder or cone by the rotation of a point crossing its right sections at a constant oblique angle broadly : spiral sense 1b

Example Sentences Phrases Containing helix Learn More About helix

Examples of helix in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web According to Bubbers, customers are coming in requesting one or even multiple piercings on the forward helix. — Leah Prinzivalli, Allure, 31 May 2022 To get their head around the physics of the problem, the team simplified the challenge to two strands of relatively wavy hair that wound around each other like a DNA helix. — Douglas Belkin, WSJ, 2 May 2022 Nucleobases are nitrogen-containing compounds crucial in forming DNA’s characteristic double-helix structure. — NBC News, 28 Apr. 2022 The discovery also suggested an answer to an age-old chicken-and-egg question about how DNA, the double-helix building blocks of life, and proteins could have arisen without carriers like RNA to transmit their codes. — New York Times, 15 Apr. 2022 To reach this 5-acre rooftop park in downtown Houston, enter the POST Houston food hall and wind up the gleaming spiral staircase, climb the grand double-helix staircase or take the wheelchair-accessible elevator. — Robin Soslow, Chron, 18 Mar. 2022 Even so, a good bit of Honda’s series-production motorcycle DNA has been spliced into the Navi’s double-helix. — Dan Neil, WSJ, 4 Mar. 2022 The double-helix of mass participation and world-class performances had been bound in the Peachtree Road Race’s DNA. — Carl Leivers, Outside Online, 2 July 2019 The flat helix is specifically the flat area of cartilage located in the upper ear. — Gabi Thorne, Allure, 6 Dec. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'helix.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Learn More About helix

Dictionary Entries Near helix

helium II

helix

helix angle

Statistics for helix

Last Updated

8 Jun 2022

Cite this Entry

“Helix.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/helix. Accessed 3 Jul. 2022.

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More Definitions for helix

helix

noun

he·lix | \ ˈhē-liks

plural helices\ ˈhel-ə-ˌsēz

, ˈhē-lə-

\ also helixes\ ˈhē-lik-səz

Medical Definition of helix

1 : the incurved rim of the external ear

2 : a curve traced on a cylinder by the rotation of a point crossing its right sections at a constant oblique angle broadly : spiral sense 2 — see alpha-helix, double helix