spiro-, spir-, spiri-

(Greek, speira > Latin, spira: coil, coiled; twisted, turning)

The Greek speira refers to anything which is wound or wrapped around something. In the plural, speirai, it includes the twisted folds or coils of a serpent or of a net; therefore, it refers to anything which is coiled, wreathed, or twisted; such as, a coil of a snake.

Careful, there is another spiro- which means "breath of life; breathing, breath".

spirillicide
An agent that is destructive to spirilla (spiral or curved bacteria).
spirillolysis
The destruction of spirilla.
spirillosis
A disease caused by the presence of spirilla in the blood.
spirillotropic
Having an attraction to spirilla.
spirillotropism
The ability to attract spirilla.
spirillum (s) (noun), spirilla (pl)
A thread-like wavy or coiled bacterium: "Spirilla are aerobic bacteria that have spirally twisted rodlike forms."
spirivalve
A gastropod with spiral shell.
spirocyst
A nematocyst in which the thread is coiled spirally.

A nematocyst is a capsule within the specialized cells of certain coelenterates; such as, jellyfish, containing a barbed, threadlike tube that delivers a paralyzing sting when propelled into attackers and prey. Also called, "stinging cell".

spiroid
1. Resembling a spiral.
2. Formed spirally.
spironeuron
A nerve filament which, contacting the base of hair cells in the organ of Corti (the hearing organ of the inner ear and contains receptors which respond to sound waves), then take a spiral course along the basilar membrane before entering the spinal ganglion.

The basilar membrane is a thin layer of tissue which is covered with mesothelial (flattened cells) which separates the cochlea from the scala (canals) tympani in the ear.

The cochlea is that part of the internal ear which is concerned with hearing.

spiroplasmas
Spiral organisms found in plants.
spirulate
Any spiral structure or coiled arrangement.

There are other "coil" words at this helico- unit.