ARC

¹ American  

Or A.R.C.

abbreviation

1. American Red Cross.

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ARC ² American  

[ahrk] / ɑrk /

noun

1. Pathology. AIDS-related complex.

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arc ³ 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 ¹ 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 ² 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 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

Directors also get the opportunity to play with characters who would be peripheral if they followed the entire arc of an artist’s career.

From The Wall Street Journal

The beloved sitcom, which ran seven seasons on Fox in the early aughts, is returning April 10 for a four-episode arc on Hulu.

From Los Angeles Times

Realizing the technology’s full economic value will take time, he noted, mirroring the decades-long arc of the internet’s global adoption.

From MarketWatch

This friction causes the particles to collect electrical charges, which are eventually released as short electric arcs only a few centimeters long.

From Science Daily

A sweep of Japanese islands called the Ryukyus arcs southwest, stopping just short of Taiwan.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arch