'arc' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arcus', where 'arcus' meant 'bow' or 'arc.'

'arc' changed from Latin 'arcus' into Old French (occurring in some forms) and entered Middle English as 'arc' or 'arke', eventually becoming the modern English word 'arc'.

Initially, it meant 'bow' or 'arched structure' (as in a bow's curve); over time it extended to mean any curved line or trajectory and then the verb sense 'to move in an arc.'