*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of arc-

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcusder. English arc- From Latin arcus (“bow, arc”), as they represent an angle or arc. Compare etymology of arch.

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
prefix

Used to form the names of inverse trigonometric functions, and the symbols for these functions. · Alternative form of ar- used to form the names of inverse hyperbolic functions, and the symbols for these functions.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos Proto-Italic *arkuos Latin arcusder. English arc- From Latin arcus (“bow, arc”), as they represent an angle or arc. Compare etymology of arch.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Derivation mentionarcusla
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:arcus",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos\nProto-Italic *arkuos\nLatin arcusder.\nEnglish arc-\n[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂erkʷ-\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₂erkʷos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*arkuos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"arcus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"arc-\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"arc-\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "arcus",
        "4": "",
        "5": "bow, arc"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin arcus (“bow, arc”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "la:arcus",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷ-\nProto-Indo-European *h₂erkʷos\nProto-Italic *arkuos\nLatin arcusder.\nEnglish arc-"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*h₂erkʷ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erkʷ-"
    ],
    [
      "*h₂erkʷos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erkʷos"
    ],
    [
      "*arkuos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/arkuos"
    ],
    [
      "arcus",
      "arcus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "arcus",
      "arcus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "arch",
      "arch#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "prefix",
      "glosses": [
        "Used to form the names of inverse trigonometric functions, and the symbols for these functions.",
        "Alternative form of ar- used to form the names of inverse hyperbolic functions, and the symbols for these functions."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "proscribed",
        "sometimes"
      ],
      "recordId": "7ff2ff16a895e186fe2adfe45bcc31b9414a9709da5fa5dcb480876fa0828a63",
      "rawRecordSha256": "b65978556f1af89f4fc2518c45cd864a5ddf49f45ffe539d01aafa5f605cbe24",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 261353
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for arc- →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YXJjLQ