n.
Pronunciation: ' h ē -liks
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural he · li · ces \ ' he-l ə - ˌ s ē z, ' h ē - \ also he · lix · es \ ' h ē -lik-s ə z \
Etymology: Latin, from Greek; akin to Greek eilyein to roll, wrap ― more at VOLUBLE
Date: 1563
1 : something spiral in form: 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 1B