[ 'hi:lɪks ]
■ noun ( plural helices 'hi:lɪsi:z , 'hɛl- )
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.