arcana

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Pronunciation

/ɑɹˈkeɪnə/

See all 2 pronunciations

/ɑɹˈkeɪnə/ · /ɑɹˈkɑːnə/

Definition of arcana

2 senses · 1 part of speech · etymology included

noun

(uncountable)Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.

“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,”
“The witch, repository of hieratic lore and folk legends and occult arcana, became the distributor of philtres and unguents, electuaries and pastilles, herbs and charms and incantations - directed toward sexual pleasures and amatory satisfactions.”
“This is not, however, a mere salmagundi of alphabetical arcana.”

See all 2 definitions

noun

(uncountable)Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.

“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,”
“The witch, repository of hieratic lore and folk legends and occult arcana, became the distributor of philtres and unguents, electuaries and pastilles, herbs and charms and incantations - directed toward sexual pleasures and amatory satisfactions.”
“This is not, however, a mere salmagundi of alphabetical arcana.”
(form-of, plural)plural of arcanum

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

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

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