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arcana. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
arcana, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
arcana in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
arcana you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
From Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arcēre (“to withhold”), arca (“a chest”).
Pronunciation
Noun
arcana (uncountable)
- 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
Related terms
Translations
knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated
See also
Noun
arcana
- plural of arcanum
Anagrams
Catalan
Pronunciation
Adjective
arcana
- feminine singular of arcà
Italian
Adjective
arcana
- feminine singular of arcano
Latin
Pronunciation
Adjective
arcāna
- inflection of arcānus:
- nominative/vocative feminine singular
- nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural
Adjective
arcānā
- ablative feminine singular of arcānus
Portuguese
Adjective
arcana
- feminine singular of arcano
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /aɾˈkana/
- Rhymes: -ana
- Syllabification: ar‧ca‧na
Adjective
arcana
- feminine singular of arcano