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arc

[ ahrk ]
/ ɑrk /
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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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Origin of arc

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

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH arc

arc , ark

Other definitions for arc (2 of 3)

ARC1
[ ahrk ]
/ ɑrk /

noun

Other definitions for arc (3 of 3)

ARC2

or A.R.C.


abbreviation
American Red Cross.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use arc in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arc (1 of 2)

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

British Dictionary definitions for arc (2 of 2)

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

Scientific 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.
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