arcane

[ ahr-keyn ]
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adjective
  1. known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.

Origin of arcane

1
First recorded in1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin arcānus, from arc(ēre) “to enclose, restrain, ward off” (derivative of arca “box, chest, coffer”) + -ānus -an

Words Nearby arcane

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How to use arcane in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for arcane

arcane

/ (ɑːˈkeɪn) /


adjective
  1. requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric

Origin of arcane

1
C16: from Latin arcānus secret, hidden, from arcēre to shut up, keep safe

Derived forms of arcane

  • arcanely, adverb
  • arcaneness, noun

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