helical

/ˈhelɪkl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈhelɪkl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈhe-li-kəl ˈhē-/ (ame, mw)

helical — adjective

  • helicalpositive
  • more helicalcomparative
  • most helicalsuperlative

1. having a coiled shape that winds around a central axis and rises upward, like a

1.形容詞C1
釋義

having a coiled shape that winds around a central axis and rises upward, like a spring or the thread of a screw

例句

Keiko photographed the helical staircase inside the old lighthouse.

collocation: helical staircase

The helical threads on the bolt made it grip tightly into the wood.

collocation: helical thread

同義詞
  • spiral

    broader term; can describe flat 2D curves as well as 3D ones

  • coiled

    more general, less technical; often implies something wound into rings

  • corkscrew

    informal and very specific; describes a tight helical shape like a wine opener

反義詞
  • straight

    having no curves or bends

  • linear

    arranged in a straight line rather than wrapped around an axis

用法筆記

Common in technical and scientific descriptions. In everyday speech, people more often say 'spiral' or 'coiled' to describe the same shape.

常見錯誤

❌The spring has a flat spiral shape.
✅The spring has a helical shape.
💡A spiral can be flat in two dimensions (like a notebook spiral); helical always refers to a three-dimensional coil that rises around a central axis.