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ardour
arch¹ /ɑːtʃ|ɑːrtʃ/ n. 1 a curved top on two supports, for example under a bridge or a church roof or above a door or window: The bridge had seven arches. 2 something with this shape, especially the middle of the bottom of the foot
arch² v [I,T] to form an arch or make into the shape of an arch: The trees arched over the path. | The cat arched its back in anger.
arch³ adj making fun of people in a clever or playful way: an arch smile —ly adv: 'I know what you're thinking!' said the old lady archly.
arch- → see WORD FORMATION TABLE
ar·chae·ol·o·gist especially BrE || archeologist AmE /ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒɪst||ˌɑːrkiɑː-/ n someone who studies ancient societies by examining what remains of their buildings, graves, tools etc
ar·chae·ol·o·gy BrE || archeology AmE /ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒi|| ˌɑːrkiɑː-/ n [U] the study of the buried remains of ancient times, such as houses, pots, tools, and weapons → see also INDUSTRIAL ARCHAEOLOGY —gical /ˌɑːkiəˈlɒdʒɪkəl||ˌɑːrkiˈɑː-/ adj: archaeological excavations —gically /kli/ adv
ar·cha·ic /ɑːˈkeɪɪk||ɑːr-/ adj belonging to the past; no longer used —ally /kli/ adv
ar·cha·ism /ˈɑːkeɪɪzəm, ˈɑːkeɪ-||ˈɑːrki-/ n a word or phrase that is no longer in general use
arch·an·gel /ˈɑːkeɪndʒəl||ˈɑːrk-/ n a chief ANGEL in the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religions: the archangel Gabriel
arch·bish·op /ˌɑːtʃˈbɪʃəp||ˌɑːrtʃ-/ n (often cap.) (in some branches of the Christian Church) a priest in charge of the churches and BISHOPS in a very large area: Archbishop Jones | His Grace the Archbishop of York
Archbishop of 'Canterbury, the the priest who is the leader of the Church of England → see also CANTERBURY
Archbishop of 'Westminster, the the priest who is the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales
Archbishop of 'York, the an important priest in the Church of England, who has the next highest rank to the Archbishop of Canterbury
arch·bish·op·ric /ˌɑːtʃˈbɪʃəprɪk||ˌɑːrtʃ-/ n the rank of, period in office of, or area governed by an archbishop
arch·dea·con /ˌɑːtʃˈdiːkən||ˌɑːrtʃ-/ n (in the Anglican branch of the Christian church) a priest of high rank who serves directly under a BISHOP
arch·di·o·cese /ˌɑːtʃˈdaɪəsɪs, -siːz||ˌɑːrtʃ-/ n the church area under the government of an archbishop
arch·duke /ˌɑːtʃˈdjuk||ˌɑrtʃˈduːk/ n (often cap.) a royal prince, especially of the royal family of Austria in former times: Archduke Charles
arch·en·e·my /ˌɑːtʃˈenəmi||ˌɑːrtʃ-/ n 1 [C] a main enemy 2 [the] (often cap.) the devil
ar·che·ol·o·gy /ˌɑːkiˈɒlədʒi||ˌɑːrkiˈɑː-/ n AmE ARCHAEOLOGY
ar·cher /ˈɑːtʃər||ˈɑːr-/ n a person who shoots ARROWS from a BOW (=piece of bent wood) either as a sport or (formerly) in war
Archer, Jef·frey /ˈdʒɛfri/ (1940–) a British politician in the Conservative Party whose official title is Lord Archer. In a LIBEL TRIAL in 1987 he said things which were not true, and went to prison in 2001 for two years after he was found guilty of telling lies in court. He also writes very popular novels.
Ar·chers, The /ˈɑːtʃəz||ˈɑːrtʃərz/ a popular British radio programme that started in 1951, and can be heard twice every day. It is about an imaginary family called the Archers, who live on farms in a small village called AMBRIDGE, and their friends and neighbours.
ar·cher·y /ˈɑːtʃəri||ɑːr-/ n [U] the art or sport of shooting arrows
ar·che·type /ˈɑːkɪtaɪp||ˈɑːr-/ n [(of)] 1 the original model of something, of which others are copies: 'the House of Commons, the archetype of all the representative assemblies' (T.B. Macaulay) 2 a perfectly typical example of something
—typal /ˈɑːkɪtaɪpəl, ˌɑːkɪˈtaɪ-|ˌɑːrkɪˈtaɪ-/ —typical /ˌɑːkɪˈtɪpɪkəl||ˌɑːr-/ adj: the archetypal wealthy American tourist —typically /kli/ adv
Ar·chi·me·des /ˌɑːkɪˈmiːdiːz||ˌɑːr-/ (?287–212 BC) a Greek MATHEMATICIAN and inventor who discovered Archimedes' Principle, the fact that when you put an object in a liquid, it seems to weigh less by a certain amount, and this amount is equal to the weight of the liquid which it has taken the place of. According to a well-known story, he discovered this while in the bath, and jumped out of the bath and ran through the streets shouting 'Eureka!' (=I have found it!)
Archimedes' 'principle n [singular] the scientific rule which explains that an object in a liquid is kept up by a force which is equal to the weight of the liquid that the object DISPLACES
ar·chi·pel·a·go /ˌɑːkɪˈpeləɡəʊ||ˌɑːr-/ n pl. -goes or -gos a group of small islands and the area of sea round them
ar·chi·tect /ˈɑːkɪtekt||ˈɑːr-/ n a person who plans new buildings and is responsible for making sure that they are built properly: Who was the architect of St Paul's Cathedral? | (fig.) He was a fine politician, and many people regard him as the architect of the modern welfare state.
ar·chi·tec·ture /ˈɑːkɪtektʃər||ˈɑːr-/ n [U] 1 the art and science of building, including its planning, making, and decoration 2 the style or manner of building in a particular country or period of history: the architecture of ancient Greece | Gothic architecture 3 the INTERNAL arrangements of computer HARDWARE or SOFTWARE especially of the different parts in relation to each other —tural /ˌɑːkɪˈtektʃərəl||ˌɑːr-/ adj: architectural plans —turally adv: Architecturally, Venice is very beautiful.
ar·chi·val /ɑːˈkaɪvəl||ɑːr-/ adj of, contained in, or being archives
ar·chives /ˈɑːkaɪvz||ˈɑːr-/ n [P] (a place for storing) historical materials, such as old papers, letters, and reports concerning a government, family, organization etc, kept especially for historical interest: an interesting old newsreel from the BBC archives —archive adj [A] archive material
ar·chi·vist /ˈɑːkɪvɪst||ˈɑːr-/ n a person who looks after archives
arch·way /ˈɑːtʃweɪ||ˈɑːrtʃ-/ n 1 a passage under an arch or arches 2 an arch over an entrance: an archway between the two rooms
arc·tic /ˈɑːktɪk||ˈɑːr-/ adj 1 (usually cap.) of or concerning the most northern part of the world 2 extremely cold: My bedroom was arctic. | arctic conditions
Arctic, the the most northern part of the Earth, including parts of Iceland, Greenland, the northern parts of Europe, Russia and Canada, and the Arctic Ocean → compare ANTARCTIC; see also NORTH POLE —Arctic adj
Arctic 'Circle, the an imaginary line around the Earth at a certain distance from the NORTH POLE, the most northern point of the Earth. In the area north of the Arctic Circle, the days and nights are continuously light in the middle of the summer, and continuously dark in the middle of the winter → compare ANTARCTIC CIRCLE
Arctic 'Ocean, the the ocean that surrounds the North Pole. It is the world's smallest ocean and is often covered with ice.
arc 'welding n [U] the joining together of pieces of metal by means of an ARC of electricity
Ar·den /ˈɑːdn||ˈɑːr-/ an area in Warwickshire, central England, which was formerly a forest. The Forest of Arden is where Shakespeare's play AS YOU LIKE IT takes place.
Arden, Elizabeth (1878–1966) a US BUSINESSWOMAN, born in Canada, who started a COSMETICS company that became very successful all over the world. She also started a fashion business.
Ar·dennes, the /ɑːˈden||ɑːr-/ an area of southeast Belgium, North Luxembourg, and northern France, where several important battles happened during World War I and World War II, including the BATTLE OF THE BULGE
ar·dent /ˈɑːdənt||ˈɑːr-/ adj showing strong feeling or desire; eager; PASSIONATE: an ardent supporter/admirer of the government | an ardent feminist —ly adv
ar·dour BrE || ardor AmE /ˈɑːdər||ˈɑːr-/ n [U] fml or lit strong