helix

noun

he·​lix ˈhē-liks 

plural helices ˈhe-lə-ˌsēz  ˈhē-  also helixes ˈhē-lik-səz 

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

Examples of helix in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Bands roll out double-helix DNA structures, giant stretchy tubes, PVC pipe eyes and more onto the field to augment the show. —Heather Bushman, IndyStar, 17 Nov. 2025

As Watson and Crick noted in their original publication, the double-helix structure of DNA implicated a straightforward mechanism for how the genome changed and replicated, and that insight transformed biology into a mechanistic science. —Kathryn Paige Harden, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

James Watson, who co-discovered the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953, has died at age 97. —Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025

Using what was known about biology at the time and X-ray images, the two determined that DNA had a double-helix structure - like a twisted ladder, with each rung made up of a pair of chemicals. —Reuters, USA Today, 7 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek; akin to Greek eilyein to roll, wrap — more at voluble

First Known Use

1563, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing helix

• alpha-helix
• double helix

Rhymes for helix

• felix

Kids Definition

helix

noun

he·​lix ˈhē-liks 

plural helices ˈhel-ə-ˌsēz 

ˈhē-lə-

also helixes ˈhē-lik-səz 

: a curve that is formed by a point rotating around a straight line and moving forward in a direction parallel to that line compare double helix

helical

ˈhel-i-kəl, 

ˈhē-li-

adjective

Medical Definition

helix

noun

he·​lix ˈhē-liks 

plural helices ˈhel-ə-ˌsēz  ˈhē-lə-  also helixes ˈhē-lik-səz 

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