ark

noun

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\ ˈärk

Definition of ark

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : 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

2a : 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

abbreviation

Definition of Ark (Entry 2 of 2)

Arkansas

Did You Know? Example Sentences Learn More about ark

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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 God chooses Noah to build an ark and save the animals and his family from an apocalyptic flood. — Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘An American in Paris’; ‘Ben-Hur’," 26 Mar. 2021 The proposal, presented last week during the IEEE Aerospace Conference, suggests the lunar ark be constructed inside one of the moon’s many hollow lava tubes. — Alex Fox, Smithsonian Magazine, "Sending DNA from Earth’s 6.7 Million Species to the Moon to Safeguard Life," 17 Mar. 2021 By the mid-1990s, the Evangelical Environmental Network was fighting back against the Republican gutting of the Endangered Species Act, which some Christians viewed as essential to preserving wildlife that had been saved in Noah’s ark. — Alex Morris, Rolling Stone, "For These Young Evangelical Activists, Facing the Climate Crisis Is an Act of Faith," 21 Mar. 2021 God chooses Noah to build an ark and save the animals and his family from an apocalyptic flood. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘The Searchers’; ‘Forrest Gump’," 12 Mar. 2021 God chooses Noah to build an ark and save the animals and his family from an apocalyptic flood. — Ed Stockly, Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘The Searchers’; ‘Forrest Gump’," 12 Mar. 2021 The Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway is a somewhat appropriate analog for the lunar ark. — Courtney Linder, Popular Mechanics, "Scientists Are Planning to Build Noah's Ark on the Moon," 12 Mar. 2021 However, the driving force behind the lunar ark isn’t climate change or sea-level rise per se, but the Toba supervolcanic eruption of 75,000 years ago. — Jamie Carter, Forbes, "Why We Need A ‘Moon Ark’ To Store Frozen Seeds, Sperm And Eggs From 6.7 Million Earth Species," 10 Mar. 2021 God chooses Noah to build an ark and save the animals and his family from an apocalyptic flood. — Los Angeles Times, "Movies on TV this week: ‘Gandhi’; ‘Forrest Gump’ and more," 26 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ark.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

10 Apr 2021

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“Ark.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ark. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for ark

ark

noun, often capitalized

\ ˈärk

Kids Definition of ark

1 : the ship in which an ancient Hebrew of the Bible named Noah and his family were saved from a great flood that God sent down on the world because of its wickedness

2 : a cabinet in a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah

Ark.

abbreviation