I. ˈhēliks, ˈhel- noun
( plural heli·ces ˈheləˌsēz, ˈhēl- ; also helix·es ˈhēliksə̇z, ˈhel-)
Etymology: Latin, from Greek — more at helenium
1. : something spiral in form: as
a. : an ornamental volute (as in an Ionic or Corinthian capital)
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 by the rotation of a point crossing its right sections at a constant oblique angle : a space curve with turns of constant slope from the base and constant distance from the axis : the curve described by the thread of a bolt or by a tubular coil spring ; broadly : a three-dimensional curve with one or more turns around an axis (as the space curve described by a conical coil spring)
II. noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Latin, something spiral in form, volute
: a genus (the type of the family Helicidae) of originally chiefly Eurasian and African pulmonate land snails having a coiled shell with a low conical spire and a wide reflexed lip and including the chief edible snails (as H. pomatia ) as well as a number of pests of cultivated plants (as the brown snail)