Main Entry: ¹arch

Pronunciation: \ˈärch\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English arche, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *arca, from Latin arcus — more at arrow

Date: 14th century

1 : a typically curved structural member spanning an opening and serving as a support (as for the wall or other weight above the opening)
2 a : something resembling an arch in form or function; especially : either of two vaulted portions of the bony structure of the foot that impart elasticity to it b : a curvature having the form of an arch
3 : archway

[arch illustration]