Ark

UK: 'ark', 'Ark': /ɑːk/ US: /ɑrk/ ,(ärk)

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Ark / ɑːk/ noun

1. Also called: Holy Ark the cupboard at the front of a synagogue, usually in the eastern wall, in which the Torah scrolls are kept
2. Also called: Ark of the Covenant the most sacred symbol of God's presence among the Hebrew people, carried in their journey from Sinai to the Promised Land (Canaan) and eventually enshrined in the holy of holies of the Temple in Jerusalem

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

ark /ɑrk/   n. [proper noun* often: the + ~]

1. Bible [sometimes: Ark] (in the Bible) the vessel built by Noah for safety during the Flood.
2. Judaism Also called ˈark of the ˈcov•e•nant. a wooden chest containing two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments.

Ark.,  an abbreviation of:

1. Place Names Arkansas.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

ark  (ärk), n. 

1. Bible (sometimes cap.) Also called Noah's Ark. the large boat built by Noah in which he saved himself, his family, and a pair of every kind of creature during the Flood. Gen. 6–9.
2. Judaism Also called ark of the covenant. a chest or box containing the two stone tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, carried by the Israelites in their wanderings in the desert after the Exodus: the most sacred object of the tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, where it was kept in the holy of holies.
3. a place of protection or security;
   refuge;
   asylum.
4. Judaism (cap.) See Holy Ark. 
5. Nautical, Naval Terms a flatboat formerly used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
6. Nautical, Naval Terms See life car. 
7. Furniture [Archaic.] a chest or box.

• Latin arca chest, coffer, derivative of arcēre to safeguard, cognate with Hittite h̬ark- hold, possess
• Middle English ark(e), erke, Old English arc, earc(e) (compare Old Frisian erke, arke, Dutch ark, Old High German, Gothic arka, Old Norse ǫrk) bef. 850

Ark., 

1. Place Names Arkansas.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

ark / ɑːk/ noun

1. the vessel that Noah built and in which he saved himself, his family, and a number of animals and birds during the Flood (Genesis 6–9)
2. a place or thing offering shelter or protection
3. a chest, box, or coffer

Etymology: Old English arc, from Latin arca box, chest

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Ark. abbreviation

1. Arkansas