arcane

English

Etymology

From Latin arcanus (“hidden, secret”), from arcere (“to shut up”), arca (“a chest”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -eɪn

Adjective

arcane (comparative more arcane, superlative most arcane)

1. Understood by only a few; obscure; requiring secret or mysterious knowledge.
   • 1997: Chris Horrocks, Introducing Foucault, page 67, The Renaissance Episteme (Totem Books, Icon Books; ISBN 1840460865)

     A “signature” was placed on all things by God to indicate their affinities — but it was hidden, hence the search for arcane knowledge. Knowing was guessing and interpreting, not observing or demonstrating.

Synonyms

• esoteric
• recondite

Antonyms

• mundane

Related terms

• arcana

Translations

understood by only a few; obscure

• Bulgarian: тайнствен (bg) (tajnstven), езотеричен (bg) (ezoteričen)
• Catalan: arcà (ca) m, secret (ca) m
• Dutch: geheim (nl), duister (nl)
• Esperanto: arkana (eo)
• French: arcane (fr)
• German: geheim (de), geheimnisvoll (de)
• Greek: απόκρυφος (el) (apókryfos) m, μυστικός (el) (mystikós) m
• Icelandic: hulinn (is) m, dulinn (is) m

• Italian: arcano (it)
• Latin: arcanus (la)
• Portuguese: arcano (pt)
• Spanish: arcano (es), secreto (es), misterioso (es)
• Swedish: esoterisk (sv), mystisk (sv), hemlig (sv), fördold (sv), svårtillgänglig (sv), sekret (sv) (antiquated; if used, only in old remnants (ca. –1900) of public administration and law)
• Turkish: esrarlı (tr), gizemli (tr), saklı (tr)

References

• arcane in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• arcane in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• arcane at OneLook Dictionary Search

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French

Adjective

arcane (masculine and feminine, plural arcanes)

1. arcane, secret, mysterious

Noun

arcane m (plural arcanes)

1. (chiefly in the plural) mysteries, arcanum

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Italian

Adjective

arcane f

1. Feminine plural form of arcano

Anagrams

• arance
• carena
• carnea

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Latin

Adjective

arcāne

1. vocative masculine singular of arcānus