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

Did you know?

A boat or ship held to resemble the one in which Noah and his family were preserved from the Flood is known as an ark. From this meaning comes the figurative meaning of ark as something that affords protection or safety. Ark is derived from the Latin word arca, meaning “chest,” which is akin to the Latin verb arcēre, meaning “to hold off or defend.” These Latin roots also gave us the use of ark to refer to the sacred chest representing to the Hebrews the presence of God among them and also to a repository that traditionally is in, or against, the wall of a synagogue for the scrolls of the Jewish Torah.

Examples of ark in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Yet these medals have come amid a career ark with plenty of setbacks. —Katherine Cusumano, Outside, 21 Feb. 2026

At a crucial point, the ark would be opened, everyone would stand, the Torah scroll would be brought out, and someone would walk it around the room so that everyone could symbolically kiss it: a quick touch of the prayer book or the fringe of the tallis, first to the scroll, then to the lips. —Nicholas Lemann, New Yorker, 21 Feb. 2026

The images show God creating the world through the story of Noah, who was directed by God to shelter humans and animals on an ark during the great flood. —Virginia Raguin, The Conversation, 19 Feb. 2026

The first is an entry room where a storm is brewing and animals are loaded into the ark. —Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 14 Jan. 2026

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

Rhymes for ark

• arc
• bark
• barque
• dark
• hark
• lark
• marc
• mark
• marque
• narc
• quark
• shark

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