ark

1 of 2

noun

ˈärk How to pronounce ark (audio)
1
a
: a boat or ship held to resemble that in which Noah and his family were preserved from the Flood
b
: something that affords protection and safety
2
a
: the sacred chest representing to the Hebrews the presence of God among them
b
: a repository traditionally in or against the wall of a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah

Ark

2 of 2

abbreviation

Arkansas

Examples of ark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Humanity, trapped in an intergalactic war between two alien species, flees the Earth on giant interstellar arks. —PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025 Once Emma and the rest of the animals were safely corralled, the family’s ark began its journey. —Corina Knoll, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 One of the arks, the USS White Whale, manages to slip away to safety. —PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025 Mia White, 45 God commanded Noah to build an ark, bring onto it every kind of animal and carry them to safety when the floodwaters rose. —Corina Knoll, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ark

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English ark, arke, arche "chest, box, coffer, the ark of Jewish history, Noah's ark," going back to Old English arc, earc, erce, earce, going back to Germanic *arkō (whence also Old Frisian erke "chest, trunk," arke "Noah's ark," Middle Dutch arke, Old High German arka, arha "chest, box," Old Icelandic ǫrk "chest, sarcophagus, Noah's ark," Gothic arka "chest, money box"), borrowed from Latin arca "chest, coffer, box, coffin," noun derivative from the base of arcēre "to hold in, prevent from approaching, keep away," going back to Indo-European *h2erḱ- "hold, contain," whence also Greek arkeîn "to hold off, repel, provide protection, assist, suffice" (probably as verbal derivative of árkos "defense"), Hittite ḫark- "hold, keep, have"

Note: Also hypothesized as nominal derivatives of *h2erḱ-, with somewhat less probability, are Old High German rigil "bolt of a door" (< *h2reḱ-l-?), Lithuanian rãktas "key," rakìnti "to lock," and Armenian argel "hindrance, obstacle, ward, prison" (< *h2rḱ- plus a suffix?). The lack of a palatovelar reflex in Lithuanian and Armenian would have to be explained, perhaps by positing a plain velar.

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of ark was before the 12th century

Rhymes for ark

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Browse Nearby Words

arjun
ark
Ark
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Cite this Entry

“Ark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ark. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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Kids Definition

ark

noun
ˈärk How to pronounce ark (audio)
1
: the ship in which Noah and his family were saved from the Flood
2
a
: a sacred chest in which the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets of the Law
b
: a place in a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah

More from Merriam-Webster on ark

Nglish: Translation of ark for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about ark

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