| helix [`hē´liks] ELECTRICITY A spread-out, single-layer coil of wire, either wound around a supporting cylinder or made of stiff enough wire to be self- supporting. MATHEMATICS A curve traced on a cylindrical or conical surface where all points of the surface are cut at the same angle. MOLECULAR BIOLOGY A spiral structure with a repeating pattern that characterizes many biological polymers, for example, double-stranded nucleic acids and proteins. |