Arca
- noun
- Specialized
- The museum displayed a rare collection of arca showcasing different species of ark shells.
Examples
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In the tidal pools, we discovered several arca that were buried in the sand.
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The scientist studied the arca to learn more about its unique shell structure.
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More detailed descriptions are available from accounts of the 1445 translation of her tomb chest, or arca, which had been raised up on eight columns—an honor generally reserved for saints and the secular elite.
Academic text (1999)
Synonyms
A group of sea clams with ridged shells like ark shells and blood clams
Compounds
Surface Forms
Etymology
Arca comes from the Latin word arca, which means 'box' or 'chest' and is the same root as the English word ark. These sea creatures have strong, box-like shells, so scientists named the genus Arca to show their 'box' shape.