/ahrk/ , n.
1. ( 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. 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. ( cap. ) Judaism. See Holy Ark .
5. a flatboat formerly used on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
6. Naut. See life car .
7. Archaic. a chest or box.
[ bef. 850; ME ark ( e ), erke, OE arc, earc ( e ) (cf. OFris erke, arke, D ark, OHG, Goth arka, ON ork ) arca chest, coffer, deriv. of arcere to safeguard, c. Hittite hark- hold, possess ]