arcane

[ahr-keyn]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR arcane ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric: She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for arcane

esoteric, impenetrable, cabalistic, mysterious, mystic, occult, recondite, unaccountable, unknowable

Examples from the Web for arcane

Contemporary Examples of arcane

All those bloodthirsty tweets and arcane exhortations and now we find out you were an advertising executive—an ad exec!
The Scared Widdle Kitty of ISIS
Jacob Siegel
December 12, 2014
Food stamps are the biggest and most expensive component of the farm bill—an arcane piece of legislation that sets farm policy.
Congress Unites to Screw the Hungry
Monica Potts
September 8, 2014
The arcane pair of paragraphs are packed with the sort of yawn-provoking polysyllables that only a lawyer could love.
Brazil’s Rich Ban Biographies Via Arcane Law
Mac Margolis
November 21, 2013
He is admirably intent on rescuing literature from the arcane rituals of US academia and restoring it to a wider audience.
Do We Need to Be Told How to Read?
William Giraldi
June 6, 2013
While they are arcane even in Georgia, they apparently are not without some small degree of influence.
Georgia Is Celebrating Confederate Heritage and History Month? Really?
John Avlon
April 2, 2013

Historical Examples of arcane

Arcane was much pleased and laughed heartily when he saw no one was hurt.
Death Valley in '49
William 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 '49
William 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 '49
William 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 '49
William Lewis Manly

British Dictionary definitions for arcane

arcane

adjective

requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric

Derived Formsarcanely, adverbarcaneness, noun

Word Origin for arcane

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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").