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made, covered, or spanned with an or .
having the form of an .
Heraldry. noting an ordinary or partition line formed as a slight curve.
Architecture.

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.
an upwardly curved construction, as of steel or timber functioning in the manner of a masonry arch.
a doorway, gateway, etc., having a curved head; an .
the curved head of an opening, as a doorway.

any overhead curvature resembling an arch.
something bowed or curved; any bowlike part:
the arch of the foot.
a device inserted in or built into shoes for supporting the arch of the foot.
a dam construction having the form of a barrel vault running vertically with its convex face toward the impounded water.
Glassmaking.

a chamber or opening in a glassmaking furnace.
.

to cover with a vault, or span with an arch:
the rude bridge that arched the flood.
to throw or make into the shape of an arch or vault; curve:
The horse arched its neck.
to form an arch:
elms arching over the road.
Nautical, (def 14).
Contemporary Examples

When they returned, many came to this small building with arched windows only a few blocks from the grimy Caspian beach.
The Caucasus Connection Anna Nemtsova April 21, 2013

Its familiar spires reach into the sky, the arched walkway hovering high above.
Harry Potter and the Plotless Theme Park Andy Dehnart July 14, 2010

Or gazing towards the Bible stories, saints and martyrs depicted in the arched stained glass windows.
Inside New York’s Scandal-Hit Seminary and Other ‘Open House’ Treats Lizzie Crocker October 9, 2014

The tour starts with a difficult choice: which of the three arched doorways will you choose?
The Royal Academy Wants You to Finish This Artwork Chloë Ashby January 23, 2014

Historical Examples

When she arched her back and stuck her stomach out she felt like a tall lady in a crinoline and shawl.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean May Sinclair

They had passed the arched doorway and crossed the courtyard.
L’Assommoir Emile Zola

His upper lip, arched like an eyebrow, curved upwards to his nostrils and his lower hung down like a camel’s.
The Brown Fairy Book Andrew Lang

She never went further than the bridge which arched over the narrow river.
Fruitfulness Emile Zola

Dismounting and tying his horse, he approached the thick, arched door with the intention of sending the keeper after Servius.
The Hour of the Dragon Robert E. Howard

But his mother loved him all the more on account of this weakness that arched his back.
Therese Raquin Emile Zola

adjective
provided with or spanned by an arch or arches
shaped like an arch; curved
noun
a curved structure, normally in the vertical plane, that spans an opening
Also called archway. a structure in the form of an arch that serves as a gateway
something curved like an arch

any of various parts or structures of the body having a curved or archlike outline, such as the transverse portion of the aorta (arch of the aorta) or the raised bony vault formed by the tarsal and metatarsal bones (arch of the foot)
one of the basic patterns of the human fingerprint, formed by several curved ridges one above the other Compare loop1 (sense 10a), whorl (sense 3)

verb
(transitive) to span (an opening) with an arch
to form or cause to form an arch or a curve resembling that of an arch: the cat arched its back
(transitive) to span or extend over: the bridge arched the flooded stream
adjective
(prenominal) chief; principal; leading: his arch rival
(prenominal) very experienced; expert: an arch criminal
knowing or superior
playfully or affectedly roguish or mischievous
n.

c.1300, from Old French arche “arch of a bridge” (12c.), from Latin arcus “a bow” (see arc). Replaced native bow (n.1). Originally architectural in English; transferred by early 15c. to anything having this form (eyebrows, etc.).
adj.

1540s, “chief, principal,” from prefix arch-; used in 12c. archangel, etc., but extended to so many derogatory uses (arch-rogue, arch-knave, etc.) that by mid-17c. it acquired a meaning of “roguish, mischievous,” since softened to “saucy.” Also found in archwife (late 14c.), variously defined as “a wife of a superior order” or “a dominating woman, virago.”
v.

early 14c., “to form an arch” (implied in arched); c.1400, “to furnish with an arch,” from arch (n.). Related: Arching.

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.

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.

an architectural term found only in Ezek. 40:16, 21, 22, 26, 29. There is no absolute proof that the Israelites employed arches in their buildings. The arch was employed in the building of the pyramids of Egypt. The oldest existing arch is at Thebes, and bears the date B.C. 1350. There are also still found the remains of an arch, known as Robinson’s Arch, of the bridge connecting Zion and Moriah. (See TYROPOEON VALLEY.)