arch

noun

1. An inverted U shape.
2. An arch-shaped arrangement of trapezoidal stones, designed to redistribute downward force outward.
3. An architectural element having the shape of an arch
4. Any place covered by an arch; an archway.

   “to pass into the arch of a bridge”

5. (archaic)An arc; a part of a curve.
6. A natural arch-shaped opening in a rock mass.
7. The curved part of the bottom of a foot.
8. (obsolete)A chief.

   “My worthy arch and patron comes to-night.”

9. Synonym of god (“person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon”).
10. An architecture; a computer architecture or instruction set architecture.

    “In the Linux kernel, arch-specific code lives in the arch directory of the source tree.”

verb

1. (transitive)To form into an arch shape.

   “The cat arched its back.”

   “GBR will either be letting operating contracts or running rail companies directly, depending on which party wins the next General Election. Whichever it is, you can be forgiven for arching an eyebrow at an infrastructure company being placed in overall control.”

2. (transitive)To cover with an arch or arches.

adj

1. Knowing, clever, mischievous.

   “I attempted to hide my emotions, but an arch remark escaped my lips.”

   “[He] spoke his request with so arch a leer.”

   “I was every day furniſhing the Court with ſome ridiculous Story; and Glumdalclitch, although ſhe loved me to Exceſs, yet was arch enough to inform the Queen, whenever I committed any Folly that ſhe thought would be diverting to her Majeſty.”

   ““Oh!” cried Mrs. Green, with an arch laugh, “you are acquainted with Monsieur Margot, then?””

   “Blanche’s grey eyes gazed at Foker with such an arch twinkle that both of them burst out laughing […]”

2. (Ireland)Cute, sly, prematurely wise.
3. Principal; primary.

   “They were arch enemies.”

   “the most arch act of piteous massacre”

   “Challenger the super scientist, Challenger the arch-pioneer, Challenger the first man of all men whom Mother Earth had been compelled to recognize.”

4. (abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, not-comparable)Initialism of autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity

name

1. A diminutive of the male given names Archibald or Archie.