arc

¹ American  

[ahrk] / ɑrk /

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.

3. Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.

4. anything bow-shaped.

---

verb (used without object)

arced, arcked, arcing, arcking

1. to form an electric arc.

2. to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.

ARC ² American  

[ahrk] / ɑrk /

noun

1. Pathology. AIDS-related complex.

---

ARC ³ American  

Or A.R.C.

abbreviation

1. American Red Cross.

---

arc ¹ British  

/ 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 ² British  

abbreviation

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 Scientific  

/ ärk /

1. A segment of a circle.

2. See electric arc

---

Etymology

Origin of arc

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

Example Sentences

“Before I was a woman who did comedy, and now I’m a man who does drama. I don’t know what happened there,” Gibson says laughing about the most surprising part of his own transition arc.

From Los Angeles Times

Fogelman and his team of writers are already at work on Season 3 of the Hulu series, which will officially conclude the narrative arc of “Paradise.”

From Los Angeles Times

Many of the top teams in college basketball throw up triples at astronomical rates, taking well over half their shots from behind the arc in pursuit of gamebreaking runs.

From The Wall Street Journal

The dam, which is 30% complete, was meant to be an architectural centerpiece—bowing outward, in defiance of standard engineering in which dams arc inward.

From The Wall Street Journal

The series boasts both monster-of-the-week camp and some of the most moving writing and audacious character arcs that have ever graced the small screen.

From Salon

Related Words

• arch