ARC

¹

[ ahrk ]

noun

1. Pathology. AIDS-related complex.

ARC

²

or A.R.C.

abbreviation for

1. American Red Cross.

arc

³

[ ahrk ]

noun

1. Geometry. any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line.
2. Also called electric arc. Electricity. a luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes. Compare spark ¹( def 2 ).
3. Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.
4. anything bow-shaped.

verb (used without object)

, arced [ahrkt] or arcked, arc·ing [ahr, -king] or arck·ing.

1. to form an electric arc.
2. to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.

ARC

¹

abbreviation for

1. 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

arc

²

/ ɑːk /

noun

1. something curved in shape
2. part of an unbroken curved line
3. a luminous discharge that occurs when an electric current flows between two electrodes or any other two surfaces separated by a small gap and a high potential difference
4. astronomy a circular section of the apparent path of a celestial body
5. maths a section of a curve, graph, or geometric figure

verb

1. intr to form an arc

prefix

1. maths specifying an inverse trigonometric function: usually written arcsin , arctan , arcsec , etc, or sometimes sin–1 , tan–1 , sec–1 , etc

arc

/ ärk /

1. A segment of a circle.
2. See electric arc

Word History and Origins

Origin of ARC¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of ARC¹

C14: from Old French, from Latin arcus bow, arch

Example Sentences

When he got into the detective genre, with “The Maltese Falcon,” it was a whole new arc for him.

From Salon

It’s such an interesting arc of work.

From Salon

The guides sweep the area with torches, illuminating the arc above us - a network of caves - and then shine the light into the narrow passages below, where a river once carved through the rock.

From BBC

“It’s that arc of connecting to this person you’ve always been, and discovering that the power and strength you’ve been looking for has always been inside of you,” said Brooks of the dialogue-free moment.

From Los Angeles Times

Here are a a few early reads on the LP and where it sits in the arc of Lamar’s career.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arch