arc

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to an arch or curve

   My back arcs at an unnatural angle.

2. 2
   noun

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

   1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure.

3. 3
   noun

   Ellipsis of story arc.

   For while most comics have designated entry points into the story in the form of arcs, Homestuck is one elaborate, self-referencing inside joke collapsed inside its own funhouse mirror reflection.

4. 4
   noun

   An arclight.

   For all practical purposes the old carbon arcs, which were the backbone of film lighting, are no longer used.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Arc comes from Latin arcus, meaning “bow, arch, or curve.” In late Middle English it first referred to the curved path of the sun or another celestial object from horizon to horizon.

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.

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary