Arcane    (pronounced ahr-kayn) adjective

and

Arcana   (pronounced ahr-kayn-uh) noun


Definition

ARCANE = known or understood by only a few; designed for or comprehended by the specially initiated only; secret; hidden or mysterious.

ARCANA = secrets or mysteries; knowledge, detail, or information that is available or understood only by people in some special field and not by the average person.

(Note: ARCANA is the plural of ARCANUM, but the singular form is not illustrated here because it is rarely used.)

Main Example

  • To help preempt future terror attacks on the U.S., our security agencies are working overtime to monitor and decipher the arcane communication flows among suspected terrorist organizations.

    Workplace Examples

  • Let me introduce Joel. One of his greatest strengths is explaining the most arcane technology in the simplest of terms so that even a 6th grader can understand it.

  • Stephanie is perhaps the only person around here who'll know why we charge IBM three cents more per transaction than we charge GM. Her knowledge of our major customer accounts arcana is simply staggering.

    Other Examples

  • your admonishing the others during a meeting: "Come on guys! This is pretty simple stuff! These are not some arcane formulas that'll drive you up the wall."

  • before a meeting, your suggesting to a presenter that he limit his discussion to the broad outlines of the issues and not get into the arcana because it will put everyone to sleep

  • a lawyer going through the city's bylaws with a fine-tooth comb, hoping to find, within the arcana, a loophole that can help his client

  • arcane rituals being performed by a priest during a Hindu wedding; somebody who specializes in the arcane field of proteomics--the study of all proteins

  • during the dot-com stock market craze of the late 1990s, astute investors Warren Buffet and Peter Lynch avoiding the hi-tech sector, saying such businesses were too arcane and beyond their comprehension

    © 2003 V.J. Singal

    This Month's Other Words

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