adj
Meaning 1
Helical, like a spiral.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
spiral
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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Canada, General-American, New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈspaɪɹəl/
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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Australian: /ˈspɑɪɹəl/
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rhymes with -aɪɹəl
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CMU ARPABET: S P AY1 R AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: swirl
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A helix.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A section of track that forms a circle and crosses over itself, used for gaining height in mountainous territory.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: rail-transport, railways, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 6
To move along the path of a spiral or helix.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- The falling leaves spiralled down from the tree.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: billow, gyrate, spire
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To cause something to spiral.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- You need to learn how to spiral a ball.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To increase continually.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, intransitive
Examples
- Her debts were spiralling out of control.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To decline mentally.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- She spiralled into a deep depression.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective satellite
Meaning 10
in the shape of a coil
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coiling, helical, spiraling, volute, voluted, whorled, turbinate
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 11
flying downward in a helical path with a large radius
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: rotation, rotary motion
noun
Meaning 12
a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- a coil of rope
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: coil, volute, whorl, helix
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: structure, construction
Narrower terms: hank
noun
Meaning 13
ornament consisting of a curve on a plane that winds around a center with an increasing distance from the center
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: volute
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: decoration, ornament, ornamentation
noun
Meaning 14
a continuously accelerating change in the economy
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: economic process
Narrower terms: inflationary spiral, deflationary spiral
noun
Meaning 15
a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: curve, curved shape
noun
Meaning 16
a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: helix
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: curve, curved shape
Narrower terms: double helix
verb
Meaning 17
to wind or move in a spiral course
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- 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
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gyrate, coil
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: turn
verb
Meaning 18
move in a spiral or zigzag course
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: corkscrew
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: turn
verb
Meaning 19
form a spiral
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The path spirals up the mountain
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: wind, twist, curve
History
Etymology
From Middle French spirale, from Medieval Latin spiralis, from Latin spīra, from Ancient Greek σπεῖρα (speîra, “wreath, coil, twist”).
Across languages
Translations
110 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Belarusian: спіра́льны (spirálʹny) — helical
- Bulgarian: спирален (spiralen) — helical
- Greek: ελικοειδής (elikoeidís) — helical
- Greek: ελικοειδές (elikoeidés) — helical
- Greek: σπειροειδής (speiroeidís) — helical
- Greek: σπειροειδές (speiroeidés) — helical
- Greek: ελικωτός (elikotós) — helical
- Greek: ελικωτή (elikotí) — helical
- Greek: ελικωτό (elikotó) — helical
- Greek: σπιράλ (spirál) — helical
- Latin: tortilis — helical
- Māori: tōrino — helical
- Polish: spiralny — helical
- Russian: спира́льный (spirálʹnyj) — helical
- Ukrainian: спіра́льний (spirálʹnyj) — helical
- Albanian: spirale — geometry
- Arabic: لَوْلَب (lawlab) — geometry
- Arabic: بُرْغِيّ (burḡiyy) — geometry
- Arabic: حَلَزُون (ḥalazūn) — geometry
- Armenian: պարույր (paruyr) — geometry
- Asturian: espiral — geometry
- Azerbaijani: spiral — geometry
- Basque: kiribil — geometry
- Belarusian: спіра́ль (spirálʹ) — geometry
- Bulgarian: спира́ла (spirála) — geometry
- Catalan: espiral — geometry
- Chinese Mandarin: 螺線 /螺线 (luóxiàn) — geometry
- Czech: spirála — geometry
- Danish: spiral — geometry
- Dutch: spiraal — geometry
- Esperanto: spiralo — geometry
- Estonian: spiraal — geometry
- Finnish: spiraali — geometry
- Finnish: kierukka — geometry
- French: spirale — geometry
- Friulian: spirâl — geometry
- Galician: espiral — geometry
- Georgian: სპირალი (sṗirali) — geometry
- German: Spirale — geometry
- Greek: έλικα (élika) — geometry
- Greek: σπείρα (speíra) — geometry
- Greek: σπείρωμα (speíroma) — geometry
- Ancient Greek: ἕλιξ (hélix) — geometry
- Hindi: सर्पिल (sarpil) — geometry
- Ido: spiralo — geometry
- Indonesian: pilin — geometry
- Italian: spirale — geometry
- Japanese: 渦巻 (uzumaki) — geometry
- Japanese: 渦巻線 (uzumakisen) — geometry
- Japanese: スパイラル (supairaru) — geometry
- Kazakh: шиыршық (şiyrşyq) — geometry
- Kazakh: спираль (spiral) — geometry
- Korean: 나선형 (naseonhyeong) — geometry
- Korean: 라선형 (raseonhyeong) — geometry
- Kyrgyz: спираль (spiral) — geometry
- Latin: helica — geometry
- Latvian: spirāle — geometry
- Lithuanian: spiralė — geometry
- Macedonian: спирала (spirala) — geometry
- Māori: makaurangi — geometry
- Norwegian Bokmål: spiral — geometry
- Norwegian Nynorsk: spiral — geometry
- Persian: مارپیچ (mârpič) — geometry
- Polish: spirala — geometry
- Portuguese: espiral — geometry
- Russian: спира́ль (spirálʹ) — geometry
- Serbo-Croatian: спирала — geometry
- Serbo-Croatian: spirala — geometry
- Sindhi: گھُنڊيدار (ghũḍedār) — geometry
- Slovak: špirála — geometry
- Slovene: spirala — geometry
- Spanish: espiral — geometry
- Swedish: spiral — geometry
- Tagalog: balukay — geometry
- Tajik: илтиво (iltivo) — geometry
- Tajik: морпеч (morpeč) — geometry
- Tamil: சுருளி (curuḷi) — geometry
- Turkish: spiral — geometry
- Turkmen: spiral — geometry
- Ukrainian: спіра́ль (spirálʹ) — geometry
- Uzbek: spiral — geometry
- Vietnamese: xoắn ốc — geometry
- Basque: helize — helix
- Bulgarian: спирала (spirala) — helix
- Chinese Mandarin: 螺旋 (luóxuán) — helix
- Finnish: kierre — helix
- Finnish: kierukka — helix
- French: hélice — helix
- German: Helix — helix
- Greek: έλικα (élika) — helix
- Italian: bovolo — helix
- Japanese: 螺旋 (rasen) — helix
- Korean: 나선 (naseon) — helix
- Korean: 라선 (raseon) — helix
- Polish: helisa — helix
- Polish: spirala — helix
- Polish: ślimacznica — helix
- Russian: спира́ль (spirálʹ) — helix
- Serbo-Croatian: спирала — helix
- Serbo-Croatian: spirala — helix
- Spanish: hélice — helix
- Bulgarian: спирала (spirala) — self-sustaining process
- Finnish: kierre — self-sustaining process
- Italian: spirale — self-sustaining process
- Japanese: スパイラル (supairaru) — self-sustaining process
- Polish: spirala — self-sustaining process
- French: spiraler — to increase continually
- Italian: aumentare vertiginosamente — to increase continually
- Ukrainian: більшати (bilʹšaty) — to increase continually
- Ukrainian: поступово більшати (postupovo bilʹšaty) — to increase continually
Real reading context