spiral shell

  • 1Spiral shell — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2Spiral — Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis, and at… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3Spiral gear — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 4Spiral gearing — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5Spiral operculum — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 6Spiral spring — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 7Spiral wheel — Spiral Spi ral, a. [Cf. F. spiral. See {Spire} a winding line.] 1. Winding or circling round a center or pole and gradually receding from it; as, the spiral curve of a watch spring. [1913 Webster] 2. Winding round a cylinder or imaginary axis,… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 8Spiral — Spi ral, n. [Cf. F. spirale. See {Spiral}, a.] 1. (Geom.) A plane curve, not re[ e]ntrant, described by a point, called the generatrix, moving along a straight line according to a mathematical law, while the line is revolving about a fixed point… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 9Spiral of Archimedes — Spiral Spi ral, n. [Cf. F. spirale. See {Spiral}, a.] 1. (Geom.) A plane curve, not re[ e]ntrant, described by a point, called the generatrix, moving along a straight line according to a mathematical law, while the line is revolving about a fixed …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 10spiral — [16] Spiral comes via French spiral from medieval Latin spīrālis ‘coiled’, a derivative of Latin spīra. This in turn went back to Greek speira ‘coil’. English also acquired the noun, as spire [16], which is used for the ‘tip of a spiral shell’.… …

    The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins