the.com/arch
It holds itself up by leaning together — gravity weaponized into grace.
means A curved structure that spans an opening and supports weight by directing it outward to its supports, or — as an adjective — playfully sly and knowing, or chief and principal (as in 'archenemy').
from From Latin 'arcus,' a bow or curve — the same root that bends through 'arc' and 'archer.' The 'chief' sense comes from a different door: Greek 'arkhos,' meaning ruler or leader, which gave us prefixes like 'arch-' in 'archbishop' and 'archangel.' The mischievous 'arch' (knowing, teasing) likely peeled off from that 'arch-' prefix — from 'archrogue' and 'archknave' meaning the chief sort of rascal, the word eventually kept the wink and dropped the villainy.
- self-locking
- Each stone pushes inward, so it can't collapse
- keystone
- The last wedge placed makes the whole thing stand
- roman flex
- Aqueducts crossed valleys on stacked arches for miles
- no mortar needed
- Pure geometry can hold dry stone for millennia
- strongest curve
- Catenary arches carry their own weight perfectly
gateway arch — 630-foot monument in st. louis, completed 1965, tallest arch in the world
arc de triomphe — monumental arch in paris built 1806-1836, honors french military victories
arch of constantine — triumphal arch in rome built 315 ce, largest surviving roman triumphal arch