Definition of "arc"

arc

/ɑːk/

noun
plural arcs
1. (astronomy) That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
2. (geometry) A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.
3. A curve, in general.
4. A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
5. (electrics) A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge between either two electrodes or as lightning.
6. A story arc.
7. (mathematics) A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
8. (graph theory) A directed edge.
9. (basketball, slang) The three-point line.
10. (film) An arclight.
  Quotations
  For all practical purposes the old carbon arcs, which were the backbone of film lighting, are no longer used.
  2012, Kris Malkiewicz, Film Lighting
verb
third-person singular simple present arcs, present participle arcing or arcking, simple past and past participle arced or arcked
1. (transitive, intransitive) To move following a curved path.
  Quotations
  A warring bloodhunter detected it and skillfully arced his sword through its spinal column before it could return to follow through with its attack.
  2008, T. R. Elmore, Blood Ties Series, Volume 1, Tainted, Book 1, page 106
  Gatland's side got back to within striking distance when fly-half Jones's clever pass sent centre Jonathan Davies arcing round Shontayne Hape.
  2011 February 4, Gareth Roberts, “Wales 19-26 England”, in BBC‎
2. (transitive) To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.
  Quotations
  His mother, her eyes raised to heaven, hands arked before her, moving, made real for John that patience, that endurance, that long suffering, which he had read in the Bible and found so hard to image.
  1953, James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain, New York, N.Y.: Knopf, part 1 (The Seventh Day)
3. (intransitive) To form an electrical arc.