volute meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

volute

noun

/vəˈluːt/

Etymology From French volute, from Italian voluta, from Latin volūta, from the feminine of volūtus, perfect passive participle of volvō. Doublet of vault.

Architecture The characteristic spiral curve on an Ionic capital, widely copied in other styles and in neoclassical architecture.

This example is much richer, yet no less elegant, than the other; the volute, instead of a single spiral, is formed by three; the sculptured echinus beneath is surmounted by a guilloched moulding, and separated from the shaft by a neck […]1856, Edward Shaw, The Modern Architect, Or, Every Carpenter His Own Master:

Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology The spirals or whorls on a gastropod's shell.

Biology, Natural sciences, Zoology Any marine gastropod of the family Volutidae.

Common shells include frog-shells, distorsios, volutes, tulips, murex, cones, olives, marginellas, cowries, augers and the Florida horse conch, the state's official shell, which can grow up to 24in (6 1 cm) long.2002, Don Philpott, Florida: Gulf Coast, page 16:

Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences The casing in a centrifugal pump, whose shape is somewhat similar to architectural volutes.

Art, Arts A spiral or scroll form.

Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music A scroll-shaped carving at the tuning head of a stringed musical instrument, similar to architectural volutes.

Derived terms: elephant's snout volute, music volute, volutite, volutoid

volute

adj

Etymology From French volute, from Italian voluta, from Latin volūta, from the feminine of volūtus, perfect passive participle of volvō. Doublet of vault.

Engineering, Natural sciences, Physical sciences Of a spring: having a spiral curve on its tail.

Biology, Natural sciences Rolled up in any way.