arcana
English
Etymology
From Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arcēre (“to withhold”), arca (“a chest”).
Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -eɪnə
- Rhymes: -ɑːnə
- IPA(key): /ɑɹˈkeɪnə/, /ɑɹˈkɑːnə/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
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)[1], 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
- arcāna: (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [arˈkaː.na]
- arcāna: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [arˈkaː.na]
- arcānā: (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [arˈkaː.naː]
- arcānā: (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [arˈkaː.na]
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/ [aɾˈka.na]
- Rhymes: -ana
- Syllabification: ar‧ca‧na
Adjective
arcana
- feminine singular of arcano