arc

• POS: Adjective, Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

arc, n. [F. arc, L. arcus bow, arc. See Arch, n.].

•  A portion of a curved line; as, the arc of a circle or of an ellipse.  [1913 Webster]
•  A curvature in the shape of a circular arc or an arch; as, the colored arc (the rainbow); the arc of Hadley's quadrant.  [1913 Webster]
•  An arch.  [1913 Webster]

  "Statues and trophies, and triumphal arcs."  [1913 Webster]
•  The apparent arc described, above or below the horizon, by the sun or other celestial body. The diurnal arc is described during the daytime, the nocturnal arc during the night.  [1913 Webster]

Electric arc, Voltaic arc. See under Voltaic.

arc, v. i. 

 To form a voltaic arc, as an electrical current in a broken or disconnected circuit.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

arc, abbr.
1 (in the UK) Agricultural Research Council.
2 Aids-related complex.

arc, n. & v.
--n.
1 part of the circumference of a circle or any other curve.
2 Electr. a luminous discharge between two electrodes.
--v.intr. (arced; arcing) form an arc.

Idiom

arc lamp (or light) a light source using an electric arc. arc welding a method of using an electric arc to melt metals to be welded.

Etymology

ME f. OF f. L arcus bow, curve

THESAURUS

arc

AC arc, Poulsen arc, aperiodic discharge, arc column, arc discharge, arc light, arch, bend, bow, brush discharge, catacaustic, catenary, caustic, circle, color filter, conchoid, crook, curl, curvation, curvature, curve, diacaustic, dimmer, discharge, disruptive discharge, electric discharge, electric shock, electric spark, electrodeless discharge, ellipse, festoon, floats, flood, floodlight, footlights, foots, galvanic shock, gelatin, glow discharge, hook, hyperbola, klieg light, light plot, lights, limelight, lituus, marquee, medium, oscillatory discharge, parabola, round, shock, silent discharge, sinus, spark, spark gap, spot, spotlight, tracery

ROGET THESAURUS

arc

Curvature

N curvature, curvity, curvation, incurvature, incurvity, incurvation, bend, flexure, flexion, flection, conflexure, crook, hook, bought, bending, deflection, deflexion, inflection, inflexion, concameration, arcuation, devexity, turn, deviation, detour, sweep, curl, curling, bough, recurvity, recurvation, sinuosity, kink, carve, arc, arch, arcade, vault, bow, crescent, half-moon, lunule, horseshoe, loop, crane neck, parabola, hyperbola, helix, spiral, catenary, festoon, conchoid, cardioid, caustic, tracery, arched ceiling, arched roof, bay window, bow window, sine curve, spline, spline curve, spline function, obliquity, curved, curviform, curvilineal, curvilinear, devex, devious, recurved, recurvous, crump, bowed, vaulted, hooked, falciform, falcated, semicircular, crescentic, sinusoid, parabolic, paraboloid, luniform, lunular, semilunar, conchoidal, helical, double helical, spiral, kinky, cordiform, cordated, cardioid, heart shaped, bell shaped, boat shaped, crescent shaped, lens shaped, moon shaped, oar shaped, shield shaped, sickle shaped, tongue shaped, pear shaped, fig shaped, kidney-shaped, reniform, lentiform, lenticular, bow-legged, oblique, circular, aduncated, arclike, arcuate, arched, beaked, bicorn, bicornuous, bicornute, clypeate, clypeiform, cymbiform, embowed, galeiform, hamate, hamiform, hamous, hooked, linguiform, lingulate, lobiform, lunate, navicular, peltate, remiform, rhamphoid, rostrate, rostriferous, rostroid, scutate, scaphoid, uncate, unguiculate, unguiform.