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# spiral

noun (a spiral, spirals); adjective (spiral); verb (spiral, spirals, spiralled/spiraled, spiralling/spiraling)

«spiral» in the English dictionary: everyday and Meaning — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A spiral is a curve that winds round and round a centre point, getting further away or closer each time, like the shape of a snail shell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#m1)
2. A spiral is also a shape that winds upward like a spring or a corkscrew: «a spiral staircase». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#m2)
3. (verb) To spiral means to move in a spiral, or to get quickly worse or bigger: «prices spiralled». [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#m3)
4. (figurative) «A downward spiral» is when things keep getting worse. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#m4)

### In the lessons

In maths lessons spirals come up in patterns and shapes, and in nature studies in snail shells, sunflower seeds, pine cones and galaxies (our Milky Way is a spiral galaxy). In science, DNA is a double spiral (double helix). In art, pupils draw spirals. In everyday talk «spiral notebook» is a notebook bound with a wire coil. In news, «spiralling costs» means costs going up fast.

### Examples

- A snail's shell is a spiral. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x1)
- We climbed the spiral staircase to the top of the tower. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x2)
- The Milky Way is a spiral galaxy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x3)
- The leaf spiralled down to the ground. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x4)
- Sunflower seeds grow in spirals. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x5)
- Write it in your spiral notebook. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x6)
- Prices spiralled when there was not enough food. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x7)
- The staircase was of cast iron, spiral, broad and easy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/#x8)

### Note

Plural «spirals». UK spelling «spiralled, spiralling»; US «spiraled, spiraling». A circle comes back to where it started; a spiral does not.

## Meaning

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «spiral» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/spiral/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«spiral» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/spiral.html) on Mova free.