Arcana

//ɑɹˈkeɪnə// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. uncountable

    "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,"

  2. 2
    plural of arcanum form-of, plural

Synonyms

All synonyms
occult

Example

More examples

"The ten Arcana are Death, Fate, Forces, Life, Matter, Mind, Prime, Space, Spirit, and Time."

Etymology

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

Related phrases

lesser arcanamajor arcanaminor arcana

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.