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definitions

arc

[ ahrk ]
/ ɑrk /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arc ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Geometry. any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line.
Also called electric arc. Electricity. a luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes.Compare spark1(def 2).
Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.
anything bow-shaped.

verb (used without object), arced [ahrkt] /ɑrkt/ or arcked, arc·ing [ahr-king] /ˈɑr kɪŋ/ or arck·ing.

to form an electric arc.
to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.

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RELATED WORDS

arch, curvature, bow, crescent, round, bend, half-moon

Nearby words

  1. arbuscular mycorrhiza,
  2. arbuthnot,
  3. arbuthnot, john,
  4. arbutus,
  5. arbutus, trailing,
  6. arc cos,
  7. arc cosecant,
  8. arc cosine,
  9. arc cot,
  10. arc cotangent

Origin of arc

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

ARC

or A.R.C.

American Red Cross.

ARC

[ ahrk ]
/ ɑrk /

noun

Pathology. AIDS-related complex.

Arc, d'

[ dark ]
/ dark /

noun

Jeanne [zhahn] /ʒɑn/. Joan of Arc.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for arc

British Dictionary definitions for arc

arc

/ (ɑːk) /

noun

verb arcs, arcing, arced, arcs, arcking or arcked

(intr) to form an arc

prefix

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

Word Origin for arc

C14: from Old French, from Latin arcus bow, arch

ARC

abbreviation for

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for arc
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for arc

arc

[ ärk ]

n.

A curved line or segment of a circle.

ARC

abbr.

AIDS-related complex
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for arc

arc

[ ärk ]

A segment of a circle.
See electric arc.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.