arc

To move following a curved path.

Noun

  1. That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
  2. A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.
    • The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure. - 1914, Ernest Bramah, Max Carrados:
  3. A curve, in general.
    • Swing it from side to side in a high arc overhead.
    • an arc of pupils around their teacher.
  4. A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
  5. A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge either between two electrodes or as lightning.
  6. 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. - 2015 February 24,...

    1. (by extension, Internet slang) A period or phase in a person's life.

      • 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.
  7. A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
  8. A directed edge.
  9. The three-point line.
  10. An arclight.
    • For all practical purposes the old carbon arcs, which were the backbone of film lighting, are no longer used. - 2012, Kris Malkiewicz, Film Lighting:

Origin

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.

Forms

arcs

Synonyms

curve swoop circular arc circle segment arrow directed edge

Derived

arc blast arc-boutant arc-connected arc converter arc cosecant arc cosine arc cotangent arcdegree arc elasticity arc eye arc fault arc-fault circuit interrupter arc flash arc-form pearly mussel arc-hyperbolic function arcjet arc-lamp arc lamp arclength arc length arclet arc light arclike arc minute

Verb

  1. To move following a curved path.
    • A warring bloodhunter detected it and skillfully arced his sword through its spinal column before it could return to follow through with its attack. - 2008, T. R. Elmore, Blood Ties Series, Volume 1, Tainted, Book 1,...
    • Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape. - 2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC Sport,...
    • The big wheel in the sky He arcs o'er miles and miles - 2024, Patricia Taxxon, “Big Wheel”, in Bicycle:
  2. To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.
    • His mother, her eyes raised to heaven, hands arked before her, moving, made real for John that patience, that endurance, that long suffering, which he had read in the Bible and found so hard to image. - 1953, James...
  3. To form an electrical arc.

Forms

arcs arcing arcking arced arcked

Related

arch

Derived

arc up nonarcing