Standard Lemma guide

arc

adj · name · noun · verb · 25 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: äk
  • UK: /ɑːk/
  • US: ärk
  • US: /ɑɹk/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)k
  • homophone: ark
  • CMU ARPABET: AA1 R K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

A ship's prefix for warships of the navy of Colombia.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: initialism, not-comparable

Topics: government, military, nautical, politics, transport, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

Initialism of American Red Cross.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, initialism

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

name

Meaning 3

The Colombian Navy (Armada de la República de Colombia).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, military, nautical, politics, transport, war

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

name

Meaning 4

A suggested location where the historical figure Joan of Arc, or her father, were from.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: geometry, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A curve, in general.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Swing it from side to side in a high arc overhead.
  • an arc of pupils around their teacher.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge either between two electrodes or as lightning.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Qualifier: electrics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

Ellipsis of story arc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, narratology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

noun

Meaning 11

Ellipsis of story arc.

A period or phase in a person's life.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Internet, broadly

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, narratology, sciences

Examples

  • I'm hitting the gym three times a week or more at the moment. I'm in my gym bro arc.
  • I miss my drawing arc. I feel like I was much more creative back then.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

13

noun

Meaning 13

A directed edge.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: graph-theory, mathematics, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

14

noun

Meaning 14

The three-point line.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: slang

Topics: ball-games, basketball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

15

noun

Meaning 15

An arclight.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

16

noun

Meaning 16

Acronym of advance reader's copy, a copy of a book given to a reviewer free in advance for review purposes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, countable, uncountable

Topics: media, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

17

noun

Meaning 17

Initialism of AIDS-related complex.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

18

noun

Meaning 18

Acronym of automatic reference counting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, programming, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

19

verb

Meaning 19

To move following a curved path.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: ambitransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

20

verb

Meaning 20

To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

21

verb

Meaning 21

To form an electrical arc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

22

noun

Meaning 22

electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discharge, spark, electric arc, electric discharge

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electrical conduction

Narrower terms: brush discharge, corona discharge, corona, corposant, St. Elmo's fire, Saint Elmo's fire, Saint Elmo's light, Saint Ulmo's fire, Saint Ulmo's light, electric glow, flashover

23

noun

Meaning 23

a continuous portion of a circle

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: curve, curved shape

Narrower terms: limb

24

noun

Meaning 24

something curved in shape

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bow

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: curve, curved shape

Narrower terms: rainbow

25

verb

Meaning 25

form an arch or curve

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • her back arches
  • her hips curve nicely

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: arch, curve

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: bend, flex

Narrower terms: camber

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish ARC.

An abbreviation.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2erkw- Proto-Indo-European *h2erkwos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcus Old French arcbor. Middle English ark English arc Inherited from Middle English ark, from Old French arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h2erkwos (“bow, arrow”). Doublet of arch, arco, and arrow.

Across languages

Translations

110 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: hark — geometry: part of a curve
  • Arabic: قَوْس (qaws) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Arabic: مُنْحَنَى (munḥanā) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Armenian: աղեղ (aġeġ) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Azerbaijani: qövs — geometry: part of a curve
  • Catalan: arc — geometry: part of a curve
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弧 (hú) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Czech: oblouk — geometry: part of a curve
  • Danish: bue — geometry: part of a curve
  • Dutch: boog — geometry: part of a curve
  • Esperanto: arko — geometry: part of a curve
  • Finnish: kaari — geometry: part of a curve
  • French: arc de courbe — geometry: part of a curve
  • Galician: arco — geometry: part of a curve
  • German: Bogen — geometry: part of a curve
  • German: Arkus — geometry: part of a curve
  • German: Kreisbogen — geometry: part of a curve
  • Hawaiian: kaula — geometry: part of a curve
  • Hungarian: ív — geometry: part of a curve
  • Hungarian: körív — geometry: part of a curve
  • Ido: arko — geometry: part of a curve
  • Irish: arc — geometry: part of a curve
  • Italian: arco — geometry: part of a curve
  • Japanese: 円弧 (enko) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Korean: 원호 (wonho) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Latin: arcus — geometry: part of a curve
  • Malay: lengkung — geometry: part of a curve
  • Malay: lengkuk — geometry: part of a curve
  • Malay: lengkok — geometry: part of a curve
  • Malayalam: ചാപം (cāpaṁ) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Māori: pewa — geometry: part of a curve
  • Navajo: názhah — geometry: part of a curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bue — geometry: part of a curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: boge — geometry: part of a curve
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: boge — geometry: part of a curve
  • Persian: کمان (kamân) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Polish: łuk — geometry: part of a curve
  • Portuguese: arco — geometry: part of a curve
  • Romanian: arc — geometry: part of a curve
  • Russian: дуга́ (dugá) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Russian: а́рка (árka) — geometry: part of a curve
  • Spanish: arco — geometry: part of a curve
  • Swedish: kurva — geometry: part of a curve
  • Swedish: båge — geometry: part of a curve
  • Tagalog: bantok — geometry: part of a curve
  • Turkish: yay — geometry: part of a curve
  • Turkish: kavis — geometry: part of a curve
  • Vietnamese: vòng cung — geometry: part of a curve
  • Armenian: աղեղ (aġeġ) — curve
  • Bulgarian: дъга (dǎga) — curve
  • Chinese Mandarin: 弧形 (húxíng) — curve
  • Czech: oblouk — curve
  • Dutch: boog — curve
  • Esperanto: arko — curve
  • Finnish: kaari — curve
  • French: arc — curve
  • Galician: curva — curve
  • German: Bogen — curve
  • German: Kurve — curve
  • Hungarian: ív — curve
  • Ido: arko — curve
  • Italian: arco — curve
  • Japanese: 弧 (ko) — curve
  • Latin: arcus — curve
  • Māori: pewa — curve
  • Māori: tāwhana — curve
  • Navajo: ahééʼídzoh — curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bue — curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: boge — curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: krumming — curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: krumning — curve
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kurve — curve
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: boge — curve
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: krumming — curve
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kurve — curve
  • Persian: خم (xam) — curve
  • Persian: کمان (kamân) — curve
  • Portuguese: curva — curve
  • Quechua: q'iwi — curve
  • Romanian: arc — curve
  • Russian: дуга́ (dugá) — curve
  • Slovak: oblúk — curve
  • Spanish: curva — curve
  • Swedish: kurva — curve
  • Swedish: båge — curve
  • Tagalog: bantok — curve
  • Turkish: kavis — curve
  • Turkish: eğri — curve
  • Finnish: valokaari — electric discharge
  • French: arc — electric discharge
  • German: Lichtbogen — electric discharge
  • Hungarian: ív — electric discharge
  • Hungarian: ívkisülés — electric discharge
  • Ido: arko — electric discharge
  • Japanese: アーク (āku) — electric discharge
  • Japanese: アーク放電 (āku hōden) — electric discharge
  • Malay: arka — electric discharge
  • Norwegian Bokmål: lysbue — electric discharge
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: ljosboge — electric discharge
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: lysboge — electric discharge
  • Persian: قوس (qows) — electric discharge
  • Portuguese: arco — electric discharge
  • Spanish: arco — electric discharge
  • Swedish: ljusbåge — electric discharge
  • Turkish: ark — electric discharge
  • Finnish: käyrä — mathematics: mapping
  • Ido: arko — mathematics: mapping
  • Irish: arc — mathematics: mapping
  • Italian: curva in forma parametrica — mathematics: mapping
  • Swedish: kurva — mathematics: mapping