arcana

English

Etymology

From Latin arcānus (hidden, secret), from arcēre (to withhold), arca (a chest).

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -eɪnə
  • Rhymes: -ɑːnə
  • IPA(key): /ɑɹˈkeɪnə/, /ɑɹˈkɑːnə/
  • (file)

Noun

arcana (uncountable)

  1. Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
    • 1827, Lydia Sigourney, Poems, To the Moon, page 15:
      Thou deign'st no answer,—or I fain would ask
      If since thy bright creation, thou hast seen
      Ought like a Newton, whose admitted eye
      The arcana of the universe explored
      Light's subtle ray its mechanism disclosed,
      The impetuous comet his mysterious lore
      Unfolded,
    • 2013 September 14, Jane Shilling, “The Golden Thread: the Story of Writing, by Ewan Clayton, review [print edition: Illuminating language]”, in The Daily Telegraph (Review), page R29:
      This is not, however, a mere salmagundi of alphabetical arcana.

Derived terms

English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₂erk-‎ (0 c, 10 e)

Translations

See also

Noun

arcana

  1. plural of arcanum

Anagrams

Catalan

Pronunciation

Adjective

arcana

  1. feminine singular of arcà

Italian

Adjective

arcana

  1. feminine singular of arcano

Latin

Pronunciation

Adjective

arcāna

  1. inflection of arcānus:
    1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
    2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Adjective

arcānā

  1. ablative feminine singular of arcānus

Portuguese

Adjective

arcana

  1. feminine singular of arcano

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /aɾˈkana/ [aɾˈka.na]
  • Rhymes: -ana
  • Syllabification: ar‧ca‧na

Adjective

arcana

  1. feminine singular of arcano
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