Meanings
- uncountableSpecialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
This is not, however, a mere salmagundi of alphabetical arcana.
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 R292 more examples
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,
1827, Lydia Sigourney, Poems, To the Moon, page 15The 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.
1961, Harry E. Wedeck, Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, New York: The Citadel Press, page 223
- pluralplural of arcanum
Origin
- Latinarcānus“hidden, secret”
- Englisharcana
From Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arcēre (“to withhold”), arca (“a chest”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish arkana
- arkanaknowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated
Polish arkana, arkany
- arkanaknowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated
- arkanyknowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with arcana
Anagrams
Cite this entry
arcana. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arcana
“arcana.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arcana. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “arcana,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/arcana.
Source: arcana on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.