HOW TO PRONOUNCE
spiral
/ˈspaɪɹəl/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does spiral mean?
noun
- A curve that is the locus of a point that rotates about a fixed point while continuously increasing its distance from that point.
- (informal) A helix.
- A self-sustaining process with a lot of momentum involved, so it is difficult to accelerate or stop it at once.
More meanings (6)
noun
- A section of track that forms a circle and crosses over itself, used for gaining height in mountainous territory.
adjective
- Helical, like a spiral.
verb
- To move along the path of a spiral or helix.
- To cause something to spiral.
- (figuratively) To increase continually.
- To decline mentally.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/ˈspaɪɹəl/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
On a table behind the easel rose a tall mechanical contrivance, the chief feature of which was a thick upright spiral screw.
With an extremely thin thread, she describes from spoke to spoke, starting from the centre, a spiral line with very close coils.
More book examples (3)
Quietly he passed in through the secret way, ascending a spiral runway to the apartment in which the Princess of Ptarth was immured.
This was found to transmit the requisite rotary motion to the drill at the end of the spiral with perfect and faithful efficiency.
It was a flattened spiral of more than two turns, and during forty years' growth had reached the length of 14.3 inches.