VOLU'TE, noun [Latin volutus, volvo.] 1. In architecture, a kind of spiral scroll, used in the Ionic and composite capitals, of which it is a principal ornament. The number of volutes in the Ionic order, is four; in the Composite, eight. There are also eight angular volutes in the Corinthian capital, accompanied with eight smaller ones, called helices. 2. In natural history, a genus of shells.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI