ark

[ ahrk ]

/ ɑrk /

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noun

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.

Ark, Judaism. Holy Ark.

a place of protection or security; refuge; asylum.

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

Nautical. life car.

Archaic. a chest or box.

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Origin of ark

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”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH ark

arc, ark

Other definitions for ark (2 of 2)

Ark.

abbreviation

Arkansas.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ark in a sentence

After 33 Years and an airplane explosion, their "Raiders of the Lost Ark" remake is almost complete.
The Daily Beast’s Best Longreads, Nov 10-16, 2014|William Boot|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Birlik said the idea was to create a national park on the slopes of Mount Cudi and put the Hollywood ark in the middle of it.
Why Turkey Wants Russell Crowe’s Ark|Thomas Seibert|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
Superstorm Sandy damaged the giant ark and some of the sets you built out in Long Island.
‘Noah’ is a Global Warming Epic About the Battle Between Religion and Science, Says Cinematographer|Marlow Stern|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
In bewilderment she brought the ark into the room, and read the letter addressed to Janet and herself.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Finally the total number of human beings who entered the ark were 4 pairs or eight persons.
Assimilative Memory|Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
He went into the nursery, unearthed the now-disused Noah's Ark, and sucked the paint off as many animals as remained.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the Ark; for the oxen stumbled.
Tessa Wadsworth's Discipline|Jennie M. Drinkwater
This alludes to the figure of the cherubims in the sanctuary, which with stretched out wings covered the ark.-Ibid.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ark (1 of 3)

ark

/ (ɑːk) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for ark (2 of 3)

Ark

/ (ɑːk) /

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

British Dictionary definitions for ark (3 of 3)

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