Spiral Very Common

Origin: Latin suffix -al

Spiral has 13 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Adjective

Definitions

Noun

a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center

"The vine grew in a spiral, winding tighter and higher around the trellis pole."

spiral

a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle

"The wire was wrapped around the cylinder in a perfect spiral, maintaining a constant angle as it wound upward."

helix spiral

a continuously accelerating change in the economy

"The market entered a spiral where falling prices triggered further panic selling, causing values to drop even faster than before."

spiral

ornament consisting of a curve on a plane that winds around a center with an increasing distance from the center

"The decorative border features an elegant spiral where each successive loop lies farther from the central point."

spiral volute

a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops

"a coil of rope"

coil spiral volute whorl helix

flying downward in a helical path with a large radius

"The storm cloud spiraled downward in a massive, swirling vortex that engulfed the entire valley floor."

spiral

A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.

"The satellite's trajectory formed a spiral as it drifted away from Earth, rotating around the planet while gradually gaining altitude."

In plain English: A spiral is something that starts at a center point and winds around it while getting farther away, like a seashell or a galaxy.

"The broken tower leaned into a dangerous spiral before collapsing."

Usage: Use this noun to describe any shape, pattern, or situation where something winds around a center while gradually moving outward, such as a seashell's structure or an escalating problem. Avoid confusing it with "circle," which implies returning to the starting point rather than continuously increasing distance from the core.

Verb

to wind or move in a spiral course

"the muscles and nerves of his fine drawn body were coiling for action"

"black smoke coiling up into the sky"

"the young people gyrated on the dance floor"

gyrate spiral coil

form a spiral

"The path spirals up the mountain"

spiral

move in a spiral or zigzag course

"The drone spiraled down toward the ground as its battery ran low."

corkscrew spiral

To move along the path of a spiral or helix.

"The roller coaster cars spiraled down the twisting track before shooting upward again."

In plain English: To spiral means to move around something while gradually getting closer to it, often spinning faster as you go down.

"The ladder began to spiral downward into the basement stairs."

Adjective

in the shape of a coil

"The artist carved an intricate spiral into the center of the wooden wheel."

coiling helical spiral spiraling volute voluted whorled turbinate

Helical, like a spiral

"The lighthouse beam cut through the fog in a long, helical path that seemed to stretch endlessly into the night sky."

Example Sentences

"The broken tower leaned into a dangerous spiral before collapsing." noun

"The spiral staircase winds up to the second floor of the old library." noun

"A metal spiral holds the pages of this paperback book together tightly." noun

"She watched the smoke rise in a thin gray spiral from the chimney." noun

"The ladder began to spiral downward into the basement stairs." verb

Origin

The word spiral entered English via the path of Middle French and Medieval Latin. It ultimately traces back to an ancient term for a wreath or coil that described twisting shapes.

Rhyming Words

ral tral ural oral gral aral kral aural jural loral acral moral dural meral sural boral rural coral feral viral

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