helix
/ˈhiːlɪks/noun
(pl. helices /ˈhelɪsiːz/)
1- an object having a three-dimensional shape like that of a wire wound uniformly in a single layer around a cylinder or cone, as in a corkscrew or spiral staircase螺旋, 螺旋状物。
1.1
- Geometry a curve on a conical or cylindrical surface which would become a straight line if the surface were unrolled into a plane【几何】螺旋线。
1.2
- Biochemistry an extended spiral chain of atoms in a protein, nucleic acid, or other polymeric molecule【生化】螺旋形链。
1.3
- Architecture a spiral ornament【建筑】螺旋饰。
1.4
- Anatomy the rim of the external ear【剖】耳轮。
词源
mid 16th cent. （in the architectural sense 'spiral ornament'）： via Latin from Greek.