arc

¹ American  

[ahrk] / ɑrk /

noun

1. Geometry. any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line.

2. Also called electric arc.  Electricity. a luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes.

3. Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.

4. anything bow-shaped.

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verb (used without object)

arced, arcked, arcing, arcking

1. to form an electric arc.

2. to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.

ARC ² American  

[ahrk] / ɑrk /

noun

1. Pathology. AIDS-related complex.

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ARC ³ American  

Or A.R.C.

abbreviation

1. American Red Cross.

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arc ¹ British  

/ ɑːk /

noun

1. something curved in shape

2. part of an unbroken curved line

3. a luminous discharge that occurs when an electric current flows between two electrodes or any other two surfaces separated by a small gap and a high potential difference

4. astronomy a circular section of the apparent path of a celestial body

5. maths a section of a curve, graph, or geometric figure

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verb

1. (intr) to form an arc

prefix

1. maths specifying an inverse trigonometric function: usually written arcsin , arctan , arcsec , etc, or sometimes sin–1 , tan–1 , sec–1 , etc

ARC ² British  

abbreviation

1. AIDS-related complex: an early condition in which a person infected with the AIDS virus may suffer from such mild symptoms as loss of weight, fever, etc

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arc Scientific  

/ ärk /

1. A segment of a circle.

2. See electric arc

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Etymology

Origin of arc

1350–1400; Middle English ark < Latin arcus bow, arch, curve

Example Sentences

"It can go from nothing to a huge arc or a curtain of light that stretches from horizon to horizon in a few seconds - it really can be quite spectacular and breathtaking."

From BBC

Two bright beams stream outward from the star, lighting up fast-moving polar lobes that punch through older, slower rings of material arranged in concentric arcs.

From Science Daily

Hours later, a person wearing a ski mask passed under the brick arc outside her front door and approached her Nest camera.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s Monika’s villain arc season,” she joyfully says into the camera, ready to do whatever it takes to cross the finish line.

From Los Angeles Times

In the former he proved compellingly contemplative and introspective, while in the latter he established an impressive arc, growing from unleashing unbounded, extroverted dimensions to embodying crumpled dejection.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arch