arcane


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ar·cane

 (är-kān′)
adj.
Known or understood by only a few: arcane economic theories. See Synonyms at mysterious.

[Latin arcānus, secret, from arca, chest.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

arcane

(ɑːˈkeɪn)
adj
requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric
[C16: from Latin arcānus secret, hidden, from arcēre to shut up, keep safe]
arˈcanely adv
arˈcaneness n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ar•cane

(ɑrˈkeɪn)

adj.
known or understood by those with special knowledge; secret: arcane rituals.
[1540–50; (< Middle French) < Latin arcānus=arc(a) chest, box + -ānus -an1]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

arcane

- Meaning "hidden, secret; mysterious, abstruse," it is from Latin arcere, "shut up," from arca, "chest."
See also related terms for mysterious.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adj.1.arcane - requiring secret or mysterious knowledgearcane - requiring secret or mysterious knowledge; "the arcane science of dowsing"
esoteric - confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle; "a compilation of esoteric philosophical theories"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

arcane

adjective mysterious, secret, hidden, esoteric, occult, recondite, cabbalistic the arcane world of contemporary music
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

arcane

adjective
Difficult to explain or understand:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations

arcane

[ɑːˈkeɪn] ADJarcano
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

arcane

[ɑːrˈkeɪn] (formal) adj [world] → obscur(e); [knowledge] → ésotérique
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

arcane

adjobskur
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

arcane

[ɑːˈkeɪn] adj (frm) → arcano/a
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
References in periodicals archive ?
The official description of "Mirage: Arcane Warfare" reads: "Mirage is a skill-based multiplayer FPS that lets you tear your enemies limb from limb with destructive magic and melee combat.
"The Jungles of Lustria" is available now as an optional DLC for "Warhammer: Arcane Magic" available through the Appstore for both iOS phone and iPads.
Yet we have a readymade task force of GPs who are being effectively barred from caring for patients because of red tape and an arcane set of rules.
If you can't make the Kasbah tomorrow, or if you decide you want second helpings, you can also catch Arcane Roots at Leicester's Soundhouse on Sunday.
We're three guys called Arcane Roots from London, we formed a few years ago after meeting at college and playing in various overlapping projects, we finally broke away to start making the music that we always wanted to.
Bagemihl pored over arcane publications from around the world, some dating back to the mid 18th century.
I worked for a commercial bank, which is about 100,000 light years from Nick Leeson's arcane derivatives trading operation.
Skillfully using the recent debate over the design and building of the Vietnam War Memorial to draw readers into his analysis of commemorations, John Bodnar explores the concept of public memory through "official and vernacular cultural expressions." By scouring arcane accounts of local, state, and national historical celebrations, he has uncovered a struggle between conflicting forces that have shaped America's public memory.
Energetic and hard-working CPAs in public or private practice can, in the routine perfomrance of their jobs, easily become experts in numerous intricate and arcane financial matters that have a growing applicability.
These high-strength, ultralight materials, once found only in the arcane settings of particle physicists, now seem poised to enter the most familiar of places: the home.
Humane Society International got very cross with her for going along with "this arcane and cruel form of entertainment".
The arcane geometry of the complex (a transposition of the medieval town plan overlaid with a grid that is deformed by topography and lines of force) is traced in the paving, walls, and in ceiling cuts that house strip lighting.