helicoid
- adjective
- /ˈhɛlɪkɔɪd/
:
helicoidal
- The engineers designed a helicoid ramp that allowed easier access for vehicles to navigate steep inclines.
- helicoid propeller
Examples
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The younger children painted little dioramas of four-eyed creatures and singing trees, or strung necklaces of helicoid propeller shells.
Fiction book (1998) -
Tire-shaped zooids graze over fields of loopleaves, and flyers with helicoid propellers fill the forests of arch-trunked singing trees.
Fiction book (1998) -
Sectional flight construction may perform better than helicoid flights.
Academic text (2001) -
Each child kept one treasure: a bit of quartz from the sapphire mine, a helicoid propeller, a dried twisted pod.
Fiction book (1998) -
Tire-shaped zooids graze over fields of loopleaves, and flyers with helicoid propellers fill the forests of arch-trunked singing trees.
Fiction book (1998) -
The shell of the nautilus is a perfect example of a helicoid structure, showcasing a spiral form.
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In nature, the helicoid shape of certain plants helps them capture sunlight more efficiently.
Synonyms
25
3.8
Having a curved shape that winds around a center like a coil
3
6.7
In the shape of a spiral, like a twisted staircase
1
4.3
Shaped like tight rings or spirals
A spiral that winds around a central line
A round shape with spiral arms like a child's pinwheel
How Helical
Surface Forms
Morphology
helicoid = helix (transparent) = helic + oid
Formed from the spiral noun 'helix' plus the productive suffix '-oid' meaning 'like' or 'having the form of', so the shape-based meaning is directly derivable.
Etymology
Helicoid comes from the Greek word helix meaning 'spiral' and the ending -oid meaning 'like', the same -oid you see in asteroid. So helicoid means 'spiral-shaped', which is why a ramp or shell can be called helicoid.