ark

[ahrk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ark ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(sometimes initial capital letter) Also called Noah's Ark. the large boat built by Noah in which he saved himself, his family, and a pair of every kind of creature during the Flood. Gen. 6–9.

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.

a place of protection or security; refuge; asylum.

(initial capital letter) Judaism. Holy Ark.

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

Nautical. life car.

Archaic. a chest or box.

Origin of ark

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) < Latin arca chest, coffer, derivative of arcēre to safeguard, cognate with Hittite h̬ark- hold, possess

Can be confusedarc ark

Ark.

Arkansas.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for ark

refuge, hutch, shelter, basket, chest, coffer, barge, vessel, ship, retreat

Examples from the Web for ark

Contemporary Examples of ark

And, just eyeballing it here, that ark looked closer to four hundred cubits than the biblically prescribed three hundred.
‘Noah’: The Bible vs. the Blockbuster
Joel Baden
March 30, 2014
But the design of the ark lends an element of drama to the film.
‘Noah’ is a Global Warming Epic About the Battle Between Religion and Science, Says Cinematographer
Marlow Stern
March 27, 2014
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
The Story of Noah's Ark From the Bible’s Book of Genesis
The Daily Beast
March 24, 2014
And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
The Story of Noah's Ark From the Bible’s Book of Genesis
The Daily Beast
March 24, 2014
And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
The Story of Noah's Ark From the Bible’s Book of Genesis
The Daily Beast
March 24, 2014

Historical Examples of ark

The Ark of God would bear them safely when all material help failed.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
A bell, for instance—as well expect to find a bell here as in Noah's Ark!
The Roof of France
Matilda Betham-Edwards
"No, it looks like one that came over in the ark," retorted Mrs. Glynn.
The Yates Pride
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
And once more: 'When the ark was removed a stone was there from the days of the first Prophets.
Storyology
Benjamin Taylor
Where were the Tabernacle and the ark of God placed after the land was won?
Hurlbut's Bible Lessons
Rev. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

British Dictionary definitions for ark

ark

noun

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)

out of the ark informal very old; out of date

a place or thing offering shelter or protection

dialect a chest, box, or coffer

Word Origin for ark

Old English arc, from Latin arca box, chest

Ark

noun Judaism

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

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.

abbreviation for

Arkansas

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 ark

Old English earc, mainly meaning Noah's but also the Ark of the Covenant, from Latin arca "large box, chest" (see arcane). Also borrowed in Old High German (arahha, Modern German Arche). From the Noachian sense comes extended meaning "place of refuge" (17c.). As the name of a type of ship or boat, from late 15c. In 19c. U.S., especially a large, flat-bottomed river boat to move produce, livestock, etc. to market.