Difference between revisions of "Helix"
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<b>helix</b> was originally a [[Greek]] word which was taken first by [[Latin]]. (See [[-es in Latin]].) In academic English, use the Latin or Greek forms of words that still ‘feel’ as if they are Latin or Greek, as far as you can. | <b>helix</b> was originally a [[Greek]] word which was taken first by [[Latin]]. (See [[-es in Latin]].) In academic English, use the Latin or Greek forms of words that still ‘feel’ as if they are Latin or Greek, as far as you can. | ||
[[category:plurals]] [[category:Latin plurals]] | [[category:plurals]] [[category:Latin plurals]] | ||
| + | [[category:Greek plurals]] | ||
Revision as of 23:23, 19 December 2010
In academic English, the plural of helix should always be helices.
helix is a word used in mathematical descriptions, or descriptions echoing mathematics. It means “a coil, a spiral, [such] as an electromagnetic coil of wire, the thread of a screw, a tendril … [more accurately] Anything of a spiral or coiled form, whether in one plane (like a watch-spring), or advancing around an axis (like a corkscrew), but more usually applied to the latter†(http://www.oed.com/). Its most famous use in modern English is in the phrase ‘the double helix’ to describe the molecular structure of DNA.
helix was originally a Greek word which was taken first by Latin. (See -es in Latin.) In academic English, use the Latin or Greek forms of words that still ‘feel’ as if they are Latin or Greek, as far as you can.
