ark

1 of 2

noun

ˈärk 

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

Noun

During a service on the holiday Yom Kippur, known as the Day of Atonement, the Torah scrolls were removed from the ark and held by several members. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Dec. 2024

The ark described in the Torah, which housed the Ten Commandments tablets among other holy objects, was hidden after the destruction of the First Temple, per rabbinic tradition. —Alex Traiman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Oct. 2024

The Musée du Quai Branly is a long ark of a building perched over a garden, whose foliage screens the museum from its busy namesake thoroughfare on the banks of the Seine. —Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024

Both Hagedorn and Thanga are confident that all that’s required for some version of the ark to become a reality is a clear, ambitious commitment from governments. —Ayurella Horn-Muller Syris Valentine, WIRED, 31 Aug. 2024

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

Kids Definition

ark

noun

ˈärk 

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