arc

noun11

1. •
   That part of a circle which a heavenly body appears to pass through as it moves above and below the horizon.
2. •
   A continuous part of the circumference of a circle (circular arc) or of another curve.

   • The arc of a circle may be very little, but, given that, it is possible to construct the entire figure. — 1914
3. •
   A curve, in general.

   • Swing it from side to side in a high arc overhead.
   • an arc of pupils around their teacher.
4. •
   (Internet) A period or phase in a person's life.

   • I'm hitting the gym three times a week or more at the moment. I'm in my gym bro arc.
   • I miss my drawing arc. I feel like I was much more creative back then.
5. •
   Ellipsis of story arc.

   • For while most comics have designated entry points into the story in the form of arcs, Homestuck is one elaborate, self-referencing inside joke collapsed inside its own funhouse mirror reflection. — 2015
6. •
   A flow of current across an insulating medium; especially a hot, luminous discharge either between two electrodes or as lightning.
7. •
   A band contained within parallel curves, or something of that shape.
8. •
   An arclight.

   • For all practical purposes the old carbon arcs, which were the backbone of film lighting, are no longer used. — 2012
9. •
   A directed edge.
10. •
    A continuous mapping from a real interval (typically [0, 1]) into a space.
11. •
    (slang) The three-point line.

verb3

1. •
   To move following a curved path.

   • 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
2. •
   To shape into an arc; to hold in the form of an arc.

   • 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
3. •
   To form an electrical arc.

adjective1

1. •
   A ship's prefix for warships of the navy of Colombia.

noun3

1. •
   Acronym of advance reader's copy, a copy of a book given to a reviewer free in advance for review purposes.
2. •
   Acronym of automatic reference counting.
3. •
   Initialism of AIDS-related complex.