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.
That includes a team composed of players from all over the globe, playing a sport subject to arcane rules that’s super hard to watch on television. Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025 But far from the U.S. having a monopoly on production, now some 96% of rare earth minerals are sourced from China, propelling these arcane materials into center stage in the escalating trade war between the world’s top two economies. Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 June 2025 Particularly nowadays, as science becomes more open and accessible to everyone, such arcane vocabulary can come across as old-fashioned and elitist. Nicholas Green, The Conversation, 3 June 2025 This is neither balanced jurisprudence nor an arcane legal dispute. Darrell Issa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Apr. 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Arcane.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arcane. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.

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