spiral
Americannoun
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Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.
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a helix.
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a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.
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a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.
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Aeronautics. a maneuver in which an airplane descends in a helix of small pitch and large radius, with the angle of attack within that of the normal flight range.
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Football. a type of kick or pass in which the ball turns on its longer axis as it flies through the air.
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Economics. a continuous increase in costs, wages, prices, etc. inflationary spiral, or a decrease in costs, wages, prices, etc. deflationary spiral.
adjective
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running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane.
a spiral curve.
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coiling around a fixed line or axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.
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of or of the nature of a spire or coil.
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bound with a spiral binding; spiral-bound.
a spiral notebook.
verb (used without object)
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to take a spiral form or course.
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to advance or increase steadily; rise.
Costs have been spiraling all year.
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Aeronautics. to fly an airplane through a spiral course.
verb (used with object)
noun
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geometry one of several plane curves formed by a point winding about a fixed point at an ever-increasing distance from it. Polar equation of Archimedes spiral: r = a θ; of logarithmic spiral: log r = a θ; of hyperbolic spiral: r θ = a, (where a is a constant)
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another name for helix
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something that pursues a winding, usually upward, course or that displays a twisting form or shape
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a flight manoeuvre in which an aircraft descends describing a helix of comparatively large radius with the angle of attack within the normal flight range Compare spin
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economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production
adjective
verb
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to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape
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(intr) to increase or decrease with steady acceleration
wages and prices continue to spiral
Other Word Forms
- multispiral adjective
- nonspiral adjective
- spirality noun
- spirally adverb
- subspiral adjective
- subspirally adverb
- unspiral adjective
- unspiraled adjective
- unspiralled adjective
- unspirally adverb
Etymology
Origin of spiral
1545–55; < Medieval Latin spīrālis, equivalent to Latin spīr ( a ) coil (< Greek speîra anything coiled, wreathed, or twisted; spire 2 ) + -ālis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As the name suggests, a stellar bar is a straight, elongated feature that stretches across the central region of a spiral galaxy.
From Science Daily
The risk is that a conflict drags on or spirals into something the U.S. didn’t bargain for.
An animal rescue centre has claimed it is at "breaking point" after seeing its running costs spiral to £40,000 a month.
From BBC
Speaking to analysts, he warned that the traditional software industry was being fundamentally transformed by this adoption, an argument that has seen shares in enterprise software companies spiral lower in recent sessions on Wall Street.
From Barron's
I thought we were spiraling down when we went out to eat once and they ran out of steak, so we had to have lamb!
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
