arcane

[ ahr-keyn ]

adjective

1. known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric:

   She knew a lot about Sanskrit grammar and other arcane matters.

arcane

/ ɑːˈkeɪn /

adjective

1. requiring secret knowledge to be understood; mysterious; esoteric

Derived Forms

• arˈcanely, adverb
• arˈcaneness, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of arcane¹

First recorded in 1540–50; from Middle French, from Latin arcānus, from arc(ēre) “to enclose, restrain, ward off” (derivative of arca “box, chest, coffer”) + -ānus -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of arcane¹

C16: from Latin arcānus secret, hidden, from arcēre to shut up, keep safe

Example Sentences

Yet for authentic fascists to understand why people shy away from close relationships with them — romantic and otherwise — they need look no further than “Arcane” Season 2.

From Salon

The gender divide in our real world is underplayed in the “Arcane” universe, but relationships between individuals are contaminated by a similarly vicious strain of the x-word itself, xenophobia — in the “Arcane” universe, between residents of the symbiotic communities of Piltover and Zaun.

From Salon

Into this all-too-real context Netflix plunks the second season of “Arcane,” the vividly colorful and fast-moving adult animated steampunk adventure series based on Riot’s “League of Legends” video games.

From Salon

By the end of the first season, however, the potential parallels between the world of “Arcane” and the one of Trump became increasingly clear.

From Salon

In this respect, “Arcane” in its second season is the perfect show to complement the actual universe’s biggest ongoing battle against fascism, the 2024 presidential election.

From Salon

Related Words

• esoteric
• impenetrable