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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 1 (def 2).
Astronomy. the part of a circle representing the apparent course of a heavenly body.
anything bow-shaped.
to form an .
to move in a curve suggestive of an arc.
Pathology, .
American Red Cross.
Jeanne
[zhahn] /ʒɑn/ (Show IPA), .
Contemporary Examples

I call it (forgive the lofty phrase) the arc of innovation—and many, many discoveries fall short along that arc.
Following Tuberculosis From Death Sentence to Cure Tessa Miller April 15, 2014

If the arc of history does in fact bend towards justice, eventually amateurism will leave college sports once and for all.
It’s Time to Rip the Money Out of the NCAA Robert Silverman March 31, 2014

In the words of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Why I Committed Career Suicide Charles Perez August 8, 2009

Her arc was always the most interesting and relatable, and what hooked us on Glee to begin with.
The First ‘Glee’ Without Cory Monteith Was Blissfully Joyous Kevin Fallon September 26, 2013

The short story format essentially suffocated the story and curtailed its arc.
Khaled Hosseini: How I Write Noah Charney November 6, 2012

Historical Examples

She had chosen one on the Avenue Kleber, not far from the arc.
A Far Country, Complete Winston Churchill

But of the arc which He disclosed no one group of His followers has as yet perceived the whole.
The Conquest of Fear Basil King

But among historical characters of the first mark the names of Socrates and of Joan of arc are enough to cite.
Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death Frederick W. H. Myers

Simba indicated the sun, and swept his hand across the arc of the heavens.
The Leopard Woman Stewart Edward White

Any arc light is affected by draughts of air and can even be blown out.
Motion Picture Operation, Stage Electrics and Illusions Henry C. Horstmann

noun
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
verb arcs, arcing, arced, arcs, arcking, arcked
(intransitive) to form an arc
prefix
(maths) specifying an inverse trigonometric function: usually written arcsin, arctan, arcsec, etc, or sometimes sin–1, tan–1, sec–1, etc
abbreviation
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
n.

late 14c., originally in reference to the sun’s apparent motion in the sky, from Old French arc “bow, arch, vault” (12c.), from Latin arcus “a bow, arch,” from PIE root *arku- “bowed, curved” (cf. Gothic arhvazna “arrow,” Old English earh, Old Norse ör; also, via notion of “supple, flexible,” Greek arkeuthos, Latvian ercis “juniper,” Russian rakita, Czech rokyta, Serbo-Croatian rakita “brittle willow”). Electrical sense is from 1821.
v.

1893, in the electrical sense, from arc (n.). Meaning “to move in an arc” attested by 1954. Related: Arced; arcing.

arc (ärk)
n.
A curved line or segment of a circle.

ARC abbr.
AIDS-related complex
arc
(ärk)

A segment of a circle.

See electric arc.

Advanced RISC Computing Specification

1. An old archive format for IBM PC. The format is now so obscure that it is only likely to be supported by jack-of-all-trades decompression programs such as WINZIP.
2. An edge in a tree. “branch” is a generally more common synonym.
(1998-12-29)
archive
Addiction Research Center
advance readers copy
AIDS-related complex
amateur radio club
American Red Cross
[National Aeronautics and Space Administration] Ames Research Center
Appalachian Regional Commission