spiral

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun a plane curve traced by a point circling about the center but at increasing distances from the center
noun a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle
noun a continuously accelerating change in the economy

From Middle French spirale, from Medieval Latin spiralis, from Latin spīra, from Ancient Greek σπεῖρα (speîra, “wreath, coil, twist”).

A fierce wind spiraled round it and played havoc with dignity. — What Will People Say? A Novel, Rupert Hughes
It wavered, elongated; it turned into a luminous greensmoke spiraling upward. — The People of the Black Circle, Robert E. (Robert Ervin) Howard
He knelt and stared down into a spiraling web of darkness. — Space Station 1, Frank Belknap Long

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