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.
Some of this may happen under cover of darkness, but much of it happens in the open, under cover of arcane technocracy or boring bureaucracy. Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025 Based on the parameters of the arcane Equine Injury Database, where only racing deaths are counted, Churchill’s spring meet had 5.39 deaths for every 1,000 starts, as computed by The Times. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025 To bring this somewhat arcane competition down to earth, DARPA created an AIxCC Experience as part of the RSAC Conference. PC Magazine, 25 Apr. 2025 From the 1950s, as foreign tourists poured onto its beaches, Spain lobbied hard to join the European Economic Community, presenting itself as a modern country, despite its rule by an arcane 1930s dictator. John Hopewell, Variety, 19 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 4 May. 2025.

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