arcane

adjective

ar·​cane är-ˈkān How to pronounce arcane (audio)
: known or knowable only to a few people : secret
arcane rites
an arcane ritual
broadly : mysterious, obscure
arcane explanations
arcane technical details

Examples of arcane in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Eating and drinking with friends is hardly an arcane interest akin to speed-solving puzzles. Melissa Kirsch, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025 Wilson enjoyed learning arcane bits of city code, like how exterior doors that swing outward must be recessed. Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 9 Apr. 2025 The arcane proxy voting matter had threatened to derail House GOP leadership’s plans to hold a vote this week on that budget resolution, which provides a framework for President Trump’s ambitious legislative agenda on tax cuts, border and energy policy. Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 6 Apr. 2025 The president and his allies say Boasberg has no right to interfere or even play any oversight role in Trump’s actions under the Alien Enemies Act, an arcane 18th century law that permits deportation of people who are nationals of a country with which the U.S. is at war. Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for arcane

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Latin arcānus "secret, private, intimate," from arca "chest, coffer, box" + -ānus -an entry 2 — more at ark

First Known Use

1547, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of arcane was in 1547

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Cite this Entry

“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

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