Lexicon: arch – ardor

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arch, n. [OFr < L. arca, chest, coffer; also, OFr < L. arc-um, bow; see arc, n.]

Door; entrance; gateway; breach; portal; aperture; [fig.] perishable body; mortal life.

archangel (-s, -'s), n. [Gk 'chief' + 'messenger'.]

  1. Prophet; seraph; Moses (see Genesis 34:33); heavenly being of the highest order; important inhabitant of heaven; angel of high rank in the celestial hierarchy.
  2. Lord; minister; Michael; one who will sound the trumpet for the resurrection of the dead; (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 1:9).

archer (-'s), n. [OFr < L. arcus, bow.] (webplay: arrow, bow).

Bowman; one who shoots with a bow and arrows; [fig.] lover; sweetheart; suitor; god of love, such as Cupid.

architect, n. [Fr. or It. < L. < Gk 'chief builder', 'master craftsman'.]

Builder; designer; framer; originator; author of the blueprints for a home; [fig.] God; the Creator.

archly, adv. [Gk 'chief'.]

Mischievously; cleverly; brightly; astutely; shrewdly; mysteriously; [word play on “arc” or “arch”] circuitously; indirectly; in a roundabout manner.

archness, n. [Gk 'chief'.]

Cunning; mischievousness; cleverness; teasing; good-humored slyness; [fig.] riddle; puzzle; enigma; mystery; (see Longfellow's Courtship of Miles Standish).

Arctic, proper adj. [OFr < L. < Gk 'the northern bear', referring to the constellation Ursa Major.] (webplay: polar).

  1. Icy; snow-white; tundra; permafrost; north pole; wintry zone; farthest from the Equator; [poss.] Indian Pipe; Ice Plant; Corpse Plant; Death Plant; Monotropa uniflora; [fig.] lonely; solitary; isolated; reclusive poet.
  2. Northernmost zone of the earth; uppermost circle of the earth; blinding white landscape; uninhabitable land with a freezing climate; [fig.] tragic; bleak; hopeless; desperate; desolate; impossible; unbearable; fruitless; futile; losing; failed; in vain; without desirable results.
  3. Cold; cool; frigid; chilly north wind; [fig.] stoic; stolid; dispassionate; (see ED letters).

Arcturus, proper n. [L. < Gk 'guardian of the bear'.] (webplay: star).

Star located at the tail of the Bear in Ursa Major; brightest star in the Big Dipper constellation; [fig.] a star personified.

ardent, adj. [OFr < L. ardēre, to burn.] (webplay: appearance).

Emotional; impassioned; fervent; poignant; heart-rending.

ardor, n. [OFr and AngFr < L. ardēre, to burn.] (webplay: appearance).

Passion; romantic fervor; emotional intensity.