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.
As a coach, Rooney also showed an interest in studying MLS’ complex and often arcane roster rules and regulations, something many foreign coaches have had little appetite for. Pablo Maurer, The Athletic, 10 Jan. 2025 At the moment, all 14 avalanche centers exist within the Forest Service’s arcane management structure of regional forests and ranger districts. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 23 Dec. 2024 Memory that by some arcane law tends to send important things spinning beyond its boundaries into oblivion, while fervently cherishing something insignificant and accidental. Andriy Sodomora (tr. Sabrina Jaszi & Roman Ivashkiv), The Dial, 12 Dec. 2024 The arcane pockets of China’s periphery where the Yi and other minorities live are typically China’s poorest regions, far from the gleaming skyscrapers and bustling ports of Shanghai and Shenzhen. Charlie Campbell, TIME, 9 Jan. 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

Dictionary Entries Near arcane

Cite this Entry

“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

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