Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

arc en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • ärk (General-American)
  • äk (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ɑɹk/ (General-American)
  • /ɑːk/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos (“bow, arrow”). Doublet of arch, arco, and arrow.

Meanings

  1. That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
  2. A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.
    • The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure. 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
  3. A curve, in general.
    • Swing it from side to side in a high arc overhead.
    • an arc of pupils around their teacher.
  4. A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
  5. (qualifier:electrics) A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge either between two electrodes or as lightning.
  6. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of story arc.
    alt of story arc
    • For while most comics have designated entry points into the story in the form of arcs, Homestuck is one elaborate, self-referencing inside joke collapsed inside its own funhouse mirror reflection. 2015 February 24, Lilian Min, “How the Internet Invented a New Kind of Storytelling”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 29 Apr 2015:
  7. (Internet, broadly) Ellipsis of story arc. ▸ A period or phase in a person's life.
    • I miss my drawing arc. I feel like I was much more creative back then.
    • I'm hitting the gym three times a week or more at the moment. I'm in my gym bro arc.
  8. A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
  9. A directed edge.
  10. (slang) The three-point line.
  11. An arclight.
    • For all practical purposes the old carbon arcs, which were the backbone of film lighting, are no longer used. 2012, Kris Malkiewicz, Film Lighting:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
arcs Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

arc of history · penalty arc · arcsecond · biarc · circumhorizontal arc · xenon arc lamp · redemptive arc · arc cosecant · arcover · arc flash · island arc · arc-second · arc weld · arc converter · arc-connected · reflex arc · arclength · arc-over · arcjet · backarc · arc welder's disease · arc minute · electric arc · arc lamp · redemption arc · semiarc · arclet · behind the arc · arc-lamp · arc cosine · arc spring · arc welder · minute of arc · arc-hyperbolic function · oxyarc · arc second · arc length · arc elasticity · forearc · arclike · narrative arc · arc-fault circuit interrupter · electric arc furnace · hyperarc · arcual · arc eye · arc welding · nocturnal arc · great-circle arc · subhelic arc · arc-form pearly mussel · character arc · second of arc · arc-boutant · Poulsen arc · arc fault · arc transmitter · arc secant · multiarc · xenon arc · arc cotangent · diurnal arc · arc blast · arc resistance · arcminute · arcweld · subarc · carbon arc · great circle arc · mercury arc rectifier · arcdegree · arc light · tropical arc

Descendants

arc · ark · arc

Synonyms

circle segment (circular arc) · swoop (curve) · arrow (directed edge) · directed edge (directed edge) · curve (curve) · circular arc (circular arc)

Translations (110)

sq hark (geometry: part of a curve) · nn lysboge (electric discharge) · de Bogen (curve) · nn boge (curve) · hy աղեղ (geometry: part of a curve) · nb bue (geometry: part of a curve) · nl boog (curve) · tr yay (geometry: part of a curve) · ro arc (geometry: part of a curve) · nb bue (curve) · tl bantok (geometry: part of a curve) · it arco (curve) · ga arc (mathematics: mapping) · nb boge (geometry: part of a curve) · mi pewa (curve) · hu körív (geometry: part of a curve) · io arko (geometry: part of a curve) · vi vòng cung (geometry: part of a curve) · hy աղեղ (curve) · eo arko (curve) · ja アーク放電 (electric discharge) · nb kurve (curve) · fi kaari (geometry: part of a curve) · gl arco (geometry: part of a curve) · da bue (geometry: part of a curve) · mi tāwhana (curve) · ro arc (curve) · gl curva (curve) · hu ív (electric discharge) · nv ahééʼídzoh (curve) · sv båge (curve) · az qövs (geometry: part of a curve) · qu q'iwi (curve) · tr kavis (curve) · io arko (curve) · sv kurva (mathematics: mapping) · ru а́рка (geometry: part of a curve) · nn krumming (curve) · ml ചാപം (geometry: part of a curve) · fi käyrä (mathematics: mapping) · hu ív (curve) · it arco (geometry: part of a curve) · ga arc (geometry: part of a curve) · sv ljusbåge (electric discharge) · it curva in forma parametrica (mathematics: mapping) · ms lengkuk (geometry: part of a curve) · es arco (electric discharge) · tr kavis (geometry: part of a curve) · de Kurve (curve) · nb krumming (curve) · ms arka (electric discharge) · fi valokaari (electric discharge) · cs oblouk (geometry: part of a curve) · ru дуга́ (geometry: part of a curve) · es arco (geometry: part of a curve) · hu ív (geometry: part of a curve) · nn ljosboge (electric discharge) · de Lichtbogen (electric discharge) · sv kurva (curve) · nn boge (geometry: part of a curve) · ar قَوْس (geometry: part of a curve) · haw kaula (geometry: part of a curve) · es curva (curve) · cmn(geometry: part of a curve) · fa کمان (geometry: part of a curve) · hu ívkisülés (electric discharge) · fa کمان (curve) · cmn 弧形 (curve) · ko 원호 (geometry: part of a curve) · eo arko (geometry: part of a curve) · fr arc (electric discharge) · nl boog (geometry: part of a curve) · nv názhah (geometry: part of a curve) · fr arc (curve) · la arcus (curve) · pl łuk (geometry: part of a curve) · bg дъга (curve) · pt arco (geometry: part of a curve) · nn kurve (curve) · ms lengkung (geometry: part of a curve) · ca arc (geometry: part of a curve) · io arko (mathematics: mapping) · sv kurva (geometry: part of a curve) · pt arco (electric discharge) · nb lysbue (electric discharge) · ms lengkok (geometry: part of a curve) · fa قوس (electric discharge) · sk oblúk (curve) · ja アーク (electric discharge) · ru дуга́ (curve) · sv båge (geometry: part of a curve) · mi pewa (geometry: part of a curve) · de Kreisbogen (geometry: part of a curve) · ja 円弧 (geometry: part of a curve) · ar مُنْحَنَى (geometry: part of a curve) · tl bantok (curve) · fa خم (curve) · cs oblouk (curve) · tr eğri (curve) · de Bogen (geometry: part of a curve) · nb krumning (curve) · de Arkus (geometry: part of a curve) · la arcus (geometry: part of a curve) · fr arc de courbe (geometry: part of a curve) · ja(curve) · nb boge (curve) · pt curva (curve) · fi kaari (curve) · tr ark (electric discharge) · io arko (electric discharge)

Source: en.wiktionary, “arc” (noun), dump 20260902, contributors via the page history. Text licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

arc en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (US) audio
  • ärk (General-American)
  • äk (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ɑɹk/ (General-American)
  • /ɑːk/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos (“bow, arrow”). Doublet of arch, arco, and arrow.

Meanings

  1. (ambitransitive) To move following a curved path.
    • The big wheel in the sky He arcs o'er miles and miles 2024, Patricia Taxxon, “Big Wheel”, in Bicycle:
    • Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape. 2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2020:
    • A warring bloodhunter detected it and skillfully arced his sword through its spinal column before it could return to follow through with its attack. 2008, T. R. Elmore, Blood Ties Series, Volume 1, Tainted, Book 1, page 106:
  2. (transitive) To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.
    • His mother, her eyes raised to heaven, hands arked before her, moving, made real for John that patience, that endurance, that long suffering, which he had read in the Bible and found so hard to image. 1953, James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain, New York, N.Y.: Knopf, →OCLC, part 1 (The Seventh Day):
  3. (intransitive) To form an electrical arc.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
arced Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
arced Tense=Past lexicographic
arcking Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part rare lexicographic
arcing Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
arcs Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
arcked Tense=Past rare lexicographic
arcked Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part rare lexicographic

Deriveds

arc up · nonarcing

Relateds

arch