Ark usually refers to the vessel that sheltered Noah and his family during the Deluge (great flood) described in the Bible (Gen. 6). The word also applies to the basket in which Moses’ mother hid him. In Jewish synagogues, the ark is the cabinet that holds the scrolls of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. Ark comes from the Latin word arca, meaning chest, box, or coffer. In Europe, ark used to mean a chest or closed basket for storing valuables or other goods. In the United States, ark referred to a large flatboat used on western rivers during the expansion of the country.
