arc
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A continuous portion of a circle.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ahrkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɑɹk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
geometry
A continuous portion of a circle
geometry
A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.
astronomy
That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
A curve, in general.
A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
verb
transitive
To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.
intransitive
To form an electrical arc.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B1 · Intermediate
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A continuous portion of a circle
Used this way, arc is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a mathematical use: it is defined precisely and belongs to working with figures and calculations rather than to ordinary conversation.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Mathematics
- Geometry
- Academic writing
- Education/classroom
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use arc
- “The ball flew in a high arc before landing in the basket.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.