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arched

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arched

[ahrcht]
–adjective
1. made, covered, or spanned with an arch or arches.
2. having the form of an arch.
3. Heraldry. noting an ordinary or partition line formed as a slight curve.

Origin:
1575–85; arch 1 + -ed 3

arch

1[ahrch]
–noun
1. Architecture.
a. a curved masonry construction for spanning an opening, consisting of a number of wedgelike stones, bricks, or the like, set with the narrower side toward the opening in such a way that forces on the arch are transmitted as vertical or oblique stresses on either side of the opening.
b. an upwardly curved construction, as of steel or timber functioning in the manner of a masonry arch.
c. a doorway, gateway, etc., having a curved head; an archway.
d. the curved head of an opening, as a doorway.
2. any overhead curvature resembling an arch.
3. something bowed or curved; any bowlike part: the arch of the foot.
4. a device inserted in or built into shoes for supporting the arch of the foot.
5. a dam construction having the form of a barrel vault running vertically with its convex face toward the impounded water.
6. Glassmaking.
a. a chamber or opening in a glassmaking furnace.
b. pot arch.
–verb (used with object)
7. to cover with a vault, or span with an arch: the rude bridge that arched the flood.
8. to throw or make into the shape of an arch or vault; curve: The horse arched its neck.
–verb (used without object)
9. to form an arch: elms arching over the road.
10. Nautical. hog (def. 14).

Origin:
1250–1300; ME arch(e) < OF arche < VL *arca, fem. var. of L arcus arc
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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arch 1   (ärch)   
n.  
  1. A structure, especially one of masonry, forming the curved, pointed, or flat upper edge of an open space and supporting the weight above it, as in a bridge or doorway.

  2. A structure, such as a freestanding monument, shaped like an inverted U.

  3. A curve with the ends down and the middle up: the arch of a raised eyebrow.

  4. Anatomy An organ or structure having a curved or bowlike appearance, especially either of two arched sections of the bony structure of the foot.

v.   arched, arch·ing, arch·es

v.   tr.
  1. To provide with an arch: arch a passageway.

  2. To cause to form an arch or similar curve.

  3. To bend backward: The dancers alternately arched and hunched their backs.

  4. To span: "the rude bridge that arched the flood" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

v.   intr.
To form an arch or archlike curve: The high fly ball arched toward the stands.

[Middle English, from Old French arche, from Vulgar Latin *arca, from Latin arcus.]
arched   (ärcht)   
adj.  
  1. Forming an arch or a curve like that of an arch.

  2. Provided, made, or covered with an arch.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

arch

In architecture, a curved or pointed opening that spans a doorway, window, or other space.

Note: The form of arch used in building often serves to distinguish styles of architecture from one another. For example, Romanesque architecture usually employs a round arch, and Gothic architecture, a pointed arch.
The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

arch  (n.)
1297, from O.Fr. arche "arch of a bridge," from L. arcus (see arc). Replaced native bow. Transferred 1590 to anything having this form (eyebrows, etc.). The verb meaning "to curve" is from 1625. Archway is from 1802.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: arch
Pronunciation: 'ärch
Function: noun
1 : an anatomical structure that resembles an arch in form or function: as a : either of two vaulted portions of the bony structure of the foot that impart elasticity to it: (1) : a longitudinal arch supported posteriorly by the basal tuberosity of thecalcaneus and anteriorly by the heads of the metatarsal bones (2) : a transverse arch consisting of the metatarsals and first row of tarsals and resulting from elevation of the centralanterior portion of the median longitudinal arch b : ARCH OF THE AORTA
2 : afingerprint in which all the ridges run from side to side and make no backward turn
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

arch (ärch)
n.
An organ or structure having a curved or bowlike appearance, especially either of two arched sections of the bony structure of the foot.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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