arc
[ ahrk ]
/ ɑrk /
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
arc, twist, curl, curve, bend, cut, spin, swing, pass, swerve, veer, bulge, buckle, spiral, crumple, coil, skew, loop, bridge, span
Nearby words
- arbuscular mycorrhiza,
- arbuthnot,
- arbuthnot, john,
- arbutus,
- arbutus, trailing,
- arc cos,
- arc cosecant,
- arc cosine,
- arc cot,
- arc cotangent
Origin of arc
1350–1400; Middle English ark < Latin arcus bow, arch, curve
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for arcing
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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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.
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.