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helic(o)-

Spiral; screw.

Greek helix, helik‑, spiral.

A helix is a spiral formed by a wire wound in a single layer around a cylinder or cone, with constant pitch. Something helical is spiral in shape, but something helicoid is more specifically in the form of a helix. A helicopter (Greek pteron, a wing) is an aircraft with a rotating wing that behaves like a screw propeller. The plant called the helichrysum (Greek khrusos, gold) has yellow spiral flowers.

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