Drag to pan · scroll to zoom
Drag to rotate
Tracing “”…
Where does the word "helix" come from? It comes from Greek helix, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).
Read the full story
Where does the word "helix" come from? It comes from Greek helix, and was adopted directly into English (1560s).
Helix’s story begins in Greek: helix meant “a spiral, a twisted shape.” Something twisted or curved, a spiral. It reached English by 1560s as helix. Greek 'spiral'; Watson and Crick's double helix of DNA (1953) made the word familiar. Today, helix means a three-dimensional spiral curve, such as in DNA or a spring.
- Stage 1 · Greek · ancient helix "a spiral, a twisted shape", something twisted or curved, a spiral.
- Stage 2 · English · 1560s helix "a three-dimensional spiral shape", Greek 'spiral'; Watson and Crick's double helix of DNA (1953) made the word familiar.