arcane
[ahr-keyn]
- known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.
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Origin of arcane
1540–50; (< Middle French) < Latin arcānus, equivalent to arc(ēre) to shut up, keep (derivative of arca a chest, box) + -ānus -an
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for arcane
Contemporary Examples
All those bloodthirsty tweets and arcane exhortations and now we find out you were an advertising executive—an ad exec!
Food stamps are the biggest and most expensive component of the farm bill—an arcane piece of legislation that sets farm policy.
The arcane pair of paragraphs are packed with the sort of yawn-provoking polysyllables that only a lawyer could love.
He is admirably intent on rescuing literature from the arcane rituals of US academia and restoring it to a wider audience.
While they are arcane even in Georgia, they apparently are not without some small degree of influence.
Historical Examples
Arcane was much pleased and laughed heartily when he saw no one was hurt.
Death Valley in '49William Lewis Manly
The earth is tapped of its arcane energies, the very air yields to us its mysterious powers.
National Being(A.E.)George William Russell
Arcane took a bucket of water back from camp and after drinking it and resting awhile the ox was driven down to the spring.
Death Valley in '49William Lewis Manly
We met Bennett and Arcane's teamsters, and as we expected they were already out of grub and no way to get anymore.
Death Valley in '49William Lewis Manly
Arcane was quite of the same opinion, the saving of a week of hard and tiresome travel being in each case the deciding reason.
Death Valley in '49William Lewis Manly
arcane
- requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin arcānus secret, hidden, from arcēre to shut up, keep safe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for arcane
adj.
1540s, from Latin arcanus "secret, hidden, private, concealed," from arcere "close up, enclose, contain," from arca "chest, box, place for safe-keeping," from PIE *ark- "to hold, contain, guard" (cf. Greek arkos "defense," arkein "to ward off;" Armenian argel "obstacle;" Lithuanian raktas "key," rakinti "to shut, lock").
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper