spiral

[ spahy-ruh l ]

/ ˈspaɪ rəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR spiral ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Geometry. a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.

a helix.

a single circle or ring of a spiral or helical curve or object.

a spiral or helical object, formation, or form.

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.

Football. a type of kick or pass in which the ball turns on its longer axis as it flies through the air.

Economics. a continuous increase in costs, wages, prices, etc. (inflationary spiral), or a decrease in costs, wages, prices, etc. (deflationary spiral).

adjective

running continuously around a fixed point or center while constantly receding from or approaching it; coiling in a single plane: a spiral curve.

coiling around a fixed line or axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.

of or of the nature of a spire or coil.

bound with a spiral binding; spiral-bound: a spiral notebook.

verb (used without object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

to take a spiral form or course.

to advance or increase steadily; rise: Costs have been spiraling all year.

Aeronautics. to fly an airplane through a spiral course.

verb (used with object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

to cause to take a spiral form or course.

Origin of spiral

1545–55; < Medieval Latin spīrālis, equivalent to Latin spīr(a) coil (< Greek speîra anything coiled, wreathed, or twisted; see spire²) + -ālis -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM spiral

spi·ral·i·ty

[spahy-ral-i-tee] /spaɪˈræl ɪ ti/, noun spi·ral·ly, adverb mul·ti·spi·ral, adjective non·spi·ral, adjective, noun

sub·spi·ral, adjective sub·spi·ral·ly, adverb un·spi·ral, adjective un·spi·ral·ly, adverb un·spi·raled, adjective un·spi·ralled, adjective

Words nearby spiral

spiny-rayed fish, spir-, spiracle, spiradenoma, spiraea, spiral, spiral arm, spiral bandage, spiral bevel gear, spiral binding, spiral canal of cochlea

Example sentences from the Web for spiral

The now-convicted felons will hear their sentences in January, but their story continues to spiral downward.

2014 Was a Delectably Good Year for Sleaze |Patricia Murphy |December 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Leung, however, has criticized Occupy Central for allowing the protests to spiral out of control.

Occupy Hong Kong Hangs On |Lennox Samuels |September 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Case in point: the spiral galaxy NGC 5548, which astronomers have been monitoring off and on for decades.

The Supermassive Black Hole Smokescreen |Matthew R. Francis |June 22, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Sometimes if parents set too many boundaries and discipline too much, they will then also rebel and spiral out of control.

Are Parents to Blame for Their Spoiled Rotten RugBrats? |Keli Goff |March 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Even as Erdogan talked tough on the protests, however, the situation around Taksim threatened to spiral further out of control.

Police Storm Istanbul’s Taksim Square |Mike Giglio |June 11, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Ornaments have free endings, bent in spiral, snail-shell coils.

Jewellery |H. Clifford Smith,
Keeping on the outside, he commenced walking the animal in a spiral ring that gradually closed in upon the clump.

The Scalp Hunters |Mayne Reid
A genus of tube-inhabiting Annelides, in which the shelly tube is coiled into a spiral disc.

The Ancient Life History of the Earth |Henry Alleyne Nicholson
These large rich spots are elongated and are placed parallel to the long axis of the egg, showing but little tendency to spiral.

Life Histories of North American Shore Birds, Part 1 (of 2) |Arthur Cleveland Bent
This rough cutting edge imparts just such a roughness to the spiral groove.

The Arrow of Fire |Roy J. Snell

British Dictionary definitions for spiral

spiral

/ (ˈspaɪərəl) /

noun

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)

another name for helix (def. 1)

something that pursues a winding, usually upward, course or that displays a twisting form or shape

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 (def. 16)

economics a continuous upward or downward movement in economic activity or prices, caused by interaction between prices, wages, demand, and production

adjective

having the shape of a spiral

verb -rals, -ralling or -ralled or US -rals, -raling or -raled

to assume or cause to assume a spiral course or shape

(intr) to increase or decrease with steady acceleration wages and prices continue to spiral

Derived forms of spiral

spirally, adverb

Word Origin for spiral

C16: via French from Medieval Latin spīrālis, from Latin spīra a coil; see spire ²

Medical definitions for spiral

spiral

[ spī′rəl ]

adj.

Coiling or developing around an axis in a constantly changing series of planes; helical.

n.

A structure in the shape of a coil.

v.

To take the form or course of a spiral.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

spiral

noun

adjective

verb (used without object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

verb (used with object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

Origin of spiral

OTHER WORDS FROM spiral

Words nearby spiral

Example sentences from the Web for spiral

British Dictionary definitions for spiral

noun

adjective

verb -rals, -ralling or -ralled or US -rals, -raling or -raled

Derived forms of spiral

Word Origin for spiral

Medical definitions for spiral

adj.

n.

v.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

spiral

noun

adjective

verb (used without object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

verb (used with object), spi·raled, spi·ral·ing or (especially British) spi·ralled, spi·ral·ling.

Origin of spiral

OTHER WORDS FROM spiral

Words nearby spiral

Words related to spiral

Example sentences from the Web for spiral

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for spiral

noun

adjective

verb -rals, -ralling or -ralled or US -rals, -raling or -raled

Derived forms of spiral

Word Origin for spiral

Medical definitions for spiral

adj.

n.

v.

British Dictionary definitions for spiral