ark

¹

[ahrk]

noun

1. Noah's Ark.

2. Also called ark of the covenant. a chest or box containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, carried by the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert after the Exodus: the most sacred object of the tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, where it was kept in the holy of holies.

3. Judaism.,  Ark, Holy Ark.

4. a place of protection or security; refuge; asylum.

5. a flatboat formerly used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

6. Nautical.,  life car.

7. Archaic.,  a chest or box.

Ark.

²

abbreviation

1. Arkansas.

ark

¹

/ ɑːk /

noun

1. the vessel that Noah built and in which he saved himself, his family, and a number of animals and birds during the Flood (Genesis 6–9)

2. informal,  very old; out of date

3. a place or thing offering shelter or protection

4. dialect,  a chest, box, or coffer

Ark

²

/ ɑːk /

noun

1. Also called: Holy Ark. the cupboard at the front of a synagogue, usually in the eastern wall, in which the Torah scrolls are kept

2. Also called: Ark of the Covenant. the most sacred symbol of God's presence among the Hebrew people, carried in their journey from Sinai to the Promised Land (Canaan) and eventually enshrined in the holy of holies of the Temple in Jerusalem

Ark.

³

abbreviation

1. Arkansas

Word History and Origins

Origin of ark¹

First recorded before 850; Middle English ark(e), erke, Old English arc, earc(e) (compare Old Frisian erke, arke, Dutch ark, Old High German, Gothic arka, Old Norse ǫrk ), from Latin arca “chest, coffer,” derivative of arcēre “to safeguard,” cognate with Hittite h̬ark- “hold, possess”

Word History and Origins

Origin of ark¹

Old English arc, from Latin arca box, chest

Example Sentences

"The work we are doing, and zoos around Europe are doing, is really to be that lifeboat, to be that ark population."

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Now it’s time to make it a tree ark, and not every species should make it aboard.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And no one even had to build an ark.

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If you were playing God, for example, you'd want to stash as many pollinators in your ark as you can, and as many plant species that are really good at storing carbon as you can.

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I understand the argument that zoos are now arks, safe places where endangered animals and genetic material are preserved in a world where thousands of species are hurtling toward extinction.

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