arcane

[ahr-keyn]

adjective

1. known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric.

   She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.

arcane

/ ɑːˈkeɪn /

adjective

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

Other Word Forms

• arcanely adverb
• arcaneness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arcane¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin arcānus, from arc(ēre) “to enclose, restrain, ward off” (derivative of arca “box, chest, coffer”) + -ānus -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of arcane¹

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

Example Sentences

Joe Reade from the Mull Campus working group told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that being forced to send children off the island to board for school is an "arcane" thing to do.

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He was exploiting an arcane loophole on a much larger mission to become the next chess world champion.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Major League Baseball is filled with arcane statistics and historical quirks, but as this season barrels toward the playoffs one stat almost defies belief.

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The close finish added scrutiny to an arcane rule that hardly ever comes into play.

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“I asked him a series of arcane questions about the central bank and the fed-funds rate,” Warsh, 55, says in an interview.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• esoteric 
• impenetrable