The word for today is…

ark (noun):

1a : a boat or ship held to resemble that in which Noah and his family were preserved from the Flood
b : something that affords protection and safety
2a : the sacred chest representing to the Hebrews the presence of God among them
b : a repository traditionally in or against the wall of a synagogue for the scrolls of the Torah

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : A boat or ship held to resemble the one in which Noah and his family were preserved from the Flood is known as an ark. From this meaning comes the figurative meaning of ark as something that affords protection or safety. Ark is derived from the Latin word arca, meaning “chest,” which is akin to the Latin verb arc?re, meaning “to hold off or defend.” These Latin roots also gave us the use of ark to refer to the sacred chest representing to the Hebrews the presence of God among them and also to a repository that traditionally is in, or against, the wall of a synagogue for the scrolls of the Jewish Torah.

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David is a retired surgeon originally from London who came to New Zealand twenty-seven years ago after being delayed in Singapore for thirteen years on leaving the UK. He was coerced into studying Latin...