Arch
adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Definitions
- 1 An inverted U shape.
- 2 A chief. obsolete
"My worthy arch and patron comes to-night."
- 3 An architecture; a computer architecture or instruction set architecture.
"In the Linux kernel, arch-specific code lives in the arch directory of the source tree."
- 4 (architecture) a masonry construction (usually curved) for spanning an opening and supporting the weight above it wordnet
- 5 An arch-shaped arrangement of trapezoidal stones, designed to redistribute downward force outward.
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- 6 Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).
- 7 a passageway under a curved masonry construction wordnet
- 8 An architectural element having the shape of an arch
- 9 a curved bony structure supporting or enclosing organs (especially the inner sides of the feet) wordnet
- 10 Any place covered by an arch; an archway.
"to pass into the arch of a bridge"
- 11 a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening wordnet
- 12 An arc; a part of a curve. archaic
- 13 A natural arch-shaped opening in a rock mass.
- 14 The curved part of the bottom of a foot.
- 1 To form into an arch shape. transitive
"The cat arched its back."
- 2 form an arch or curve wordnet
- 3 To cover with an arch or arches. transitive
- 1 Knowing, clever, mischievous.
"I attempted to hide my emotions, but an arch remark escaped my lips."
- 2 Initialism of autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, not-comparable
- 3 Cute, sly, prematurely wise. Ireland
- 4 Principal; primary.
"They were arch enemies."
- 1 naughtily or annoyingly playful wordnet
- 2 (used of behavior or attitude) characteristic of those who treat others with condescension wordnet
- 1 A diminutive of the male given names Archibald or Archie.
Antonyms
All antonymsExample
More examples"The design was also given the finishing touch to have launch impact and dynamism provided by the novelty of the arch shaped logo design."
Etymology
From Middle English arch, arche, from Old French arche (“an arch”), a feminine form of arc, from Latin arcus (“a bow, arc, arch”). Doublet of arc and arco. Displaced native Old English bīeġels.
From the prefix arch-. "Principal" is the original sense; "mischievous" is via onetime frequent collocation with rogue, knave, etc.
Clipping of architecture.
Clipping of Archibald or Archie.
Related phrases
More for "arch"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.