Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Arc

Arc

,
Noun.
[F.
arc
, L.
arcus
bow, arc. See
Arch
,
Noun.
]
1.
(Geom.)
A portion of a curved line;
as, the
arc
of a circle or of an ellipse
.
2.
A curvature in the shape of a circular arc or an arch;
as, the colored
arc
(the rainbow); the
arc
of Hadley’s quadrant.
3.
An arch.
[Obs.]
Statues and trophies, and triumphal
arcs
.
Milton.
4.
The apparent arc described, above or below the horizon, by the sun or other celestial body. The diurnal arc is described during the daytime, the nocturnal arc during the night.
Electric arc
,
Voltaic arc
.
See under
Voltaic
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Arc

'ARC

,
Noun.
[L. arcus, a bow, vault or arch; arcuo, to bend; Gr. beginning, origin; to begin, to be the author or chief. The Greek word has a different application, but is probably from the same root as arcus, from the sense of springing or stretching, shooting up, rising, which gives the sense of a vault, or bow, as well as of chief or head. Heb. to weave; to desire, or long for, to ascend. Gr.; L. fragro; and the sense of arch is from stretching upwards, ascending. From arc or arch comes the sense of bending, deviating and cunning.]
In geometry, any part of the circumference of a circle, or curved line, lying from one point to another; a segment, or part of a circle, not more than a semicircle.

Definition 2024

arc

arc

See also: arc- and ARC

English

Noun

arc ‎(plural arcs)

  1. (astronomy) That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon. [from 14th c.]
  2. (geometry) A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of an other curve. [from 16th c.]
  3. A curve, in general. [from 17th c.]
  4. A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape. [from 17th c.]
  5. (electrics) A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge between either two electrodes or as lightning. [from 19th c.]
  6. A story arc. [from 20th c.]
  7. (mathematics) A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
  8. (graph theory) A directed edge.

Synonyms

Translations

Verb

arc ‎(third-person singular simple present arcs, present participle arcing or arcking or arking, simple past and past participle arced or arcked or arked)

  1. (transitive, intransitive) To move following a curved path.
    • 2008, T. R. Elmore, Blood Ties Series, Volume 1, Tainted, Book 1 (page 106)
      A warring bloodhunter detected it and skillfully arced his sword through its spinal column before it could return to follow through with its attack.
    • 2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC:
      Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape.
  2. (transitive) To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.
    • 1953, James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain, New York: Knopf, Part One,
      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.
  3. (intransitive) To form an electrical arc.

Related terms

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

From Old Provençal arc, from Latin arcus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷo-.

Noun

arc m ‎(plural arcs)

  1. bow (weapon)
  2. (music) bow (used to play string instruments)
  3. (geometry) arc
  4. (architecture) arch

Derived terms

See also

French

Etymology

From Old French arc, from Latin arcus ‎(“bow, arch”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷo-.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aʁk/

Noun

arc m ‎(plural arcs)

  1. bow (weapon)
  2. arc (curve)
  3. (geometry) arc, circular arc, circle segment
  4. (architecture) arch

Derived terms

See also

Anagrams

Friulian

Etymology

From Latin arcus.

Noun

arc m ‎(plural arcs)

  1. bow (weapon)
  2. (architecture) arch

Related terms

  • arcâ

See also

Hungarian

Etymology

The original form of the word was orca.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [ˈɒrt͡s]

Noun

arc ‎(plural arcok)

  1. face

Declension

Inflection (stem in -o-, back harmony)
singular plural
nominative arc arcok
accusative arcot arcokat
dative arcnak arcoknak
instrumental arccal arcokkal
causal-final arcért arcokért
translative arccá arcokká
terminative arcig arcokig
essive-formal arcként arcokként
essive-modal arcul —
inessive arcban arcokban
superessive arcon arcokon
adessive arcnál arcoknál
illative arcba arcokba
sublative arcra arcokra
allative archoz arcokhoz
elative arcból arcokból
delative arcról arcokról
ablative arctól arcoktól
Possessive forms of arc
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. arcom arcaim
2nd person sing. arcod arcaid
3rd person sing. arca arcai
1st person plural arcunk arcaink
2nd person plural arcotok arcaitok
3rd person plural arcuk arcaik

Derived terms

Irish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aɾˠk/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish orc, arc ‎(“piglet”).

Noun

arc m ‎(genitive singular airc, nominative plural airc)

  1. piglet
  2. diminutive animal or person
Alternative forms
  • earc

Etymology 2

Borrowing from Anglo-Norman arc, from Latin arcus ‎(“a bow, arc, arch”).

Noun

arc m ‎(genitive singular airc, nominative plural airc)

  1. (mathematics, geometry) arc

Etymology 3

Noun

arc m ‎(genitive singular airc, nominative plural airc)

  1. Alternative form of earc ‎(“lizard; reptile”)

Declension

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
arc n-arc harc t-arc
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

Old French

Etymology

From Latin arcus.

Noun

arc m ‎(oblique plural ars, nominative singular ars, nominative plural arc)

  1. bow (weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other flexible material whose ends are connected by a string)
  2. (architecture) arch

Coordinate terms

Descendants

Old High German

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ark/

Adjective

arc

  1. Alternative form of arg

References

  • Joseph Wright, An Old High German Primer

Romanian

Etymology

From Latin arcus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷo-.

Noun

arc n ‎(plural arcuri)

  1. bow (a weapon)
  2. (architecture) arch
  3. (geometry) arc

Declension

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

Scottish Gaelic

Noun

arc f

  1. Bee (apoidea).[1]
  2. Wasp (vespidae).[1]
  3. Impost, tax.[1]
  4. "Femen."(sic)[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 arc in Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, ISBN 0 901771 92 9; accessed on 7 May 2015.

Etymology

From Middle English [Term?], borrowing from Old French arc, from Latin arcus ‎(“a bow, arc, arch”).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɑːk/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ɑɹk/
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)k
  • Homophone: ark
A geometric arc, upper right.
An electric arc between two nails.

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