arks
|arks|
🇺🇸
/ɑrk/
🇬🇧
/ɑːk/
(ark)
sacred chest / refuge
Etymology
'ark' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'arca', where 'arca' meant 'chest' or 'box'.
'ark' passed into Old English as forms such as 'earc' or 'arc', appeared in Middle English as 'ark(e)', and eventually became the modern English word 'ark'.
Initially it meant 'a chest or box', but over time it extended to mean the large boat of Noah and, by metaphor, any place or thing that provides protection or refuge.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a large enclosed vessel or boat, especially the biblical Noah's Ark (a craft built to preserve life during a catastrophic flood).
Many children know the story of Noah's arks from pictures and books.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a chest or box for keeping valuable or sacred items (e.g., the Ark of the Covenant).
The museum displayed several ancient arks that had once held sacred objects.
Synonyms
Noun 3
something that provides protection or refuge; a place of safety.
The island acted as one of the last arks for endangered species.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Idioms
Last updated: 2025/10/15 15:59