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.
Her expertise as the Senate’s interpreter of arcane chamber rules cannot be easily replaced with a party loyalist, and her day-to-day duties are nonpartisan in nature, even if she was appointed in 2012 by then-Democratic Leader Harry Reid. Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2025 Family businesses have been waiting impatiently for certainty on tax policy, as many of the 2017 improvements in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act were made temporary to fit within the Senate’s arcane budget reconciliation restrictions. Palmer Schoening, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025 The Senate’s become consumed with a debate over the arcane provider tax, a mechanism health care providers use to get more federal dollars for Medicaid. Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 26 June 2025 This seemingly arcane provision of tax law is vital to having a fair corporate tax code that encourages growth. The Editors, National Review, 9 June 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 Jul. 2025.

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