arc
Geometry. any unbroken part of the circumference of a circle or other curved line.
Also called electric arc. Electricity. a luminous bridge formed in a gap between two electrodes.: Compare spark1 (def. 2).
Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.
anything bow-shaped.
to form an electric arc.
to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.
Origin of arc
1Words that may be confused with arc
- arc , ark
Other definitions for ARC (2 of 3)
Pathology. AIDS-related complex.
Other definitions for ARC (3 of 3)
American Red Cross.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for arc (1 of 2)
/ (ɑːk) /
something curved in shape
part of an unbroken curved line
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
astronomy a circular section of the apparent path of a celestial body
maths a section of a curve, graph, or geometric figure
(intr) to form an arc
maths specifying an inverse trigonometric function: usually written arcsin, arctan, arcsec, etc, or sometimes sin –1, tan –1, sec –1, etc
Origin of arc
1British Dictionary definitions for ARC (2 of 2)
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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for arc
[ ärk ]
A segment of a circle.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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