volutes

Noun

volute (plural volutes)

1. 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
2. The spirals or whorls on a gastropod's shell.
3. 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
4. The casing in a centrifugal pump, whose shape is somewhat similar to architectural volutes.
5. A spiral or scroll form.
6. A scroll-shaped carving at the tuning head of a stringed musical instrument, similar to architectural volutes.

See all 8 meanings of volute