Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

arcane

/ɑɹˈkeɪn/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.99 in modern English

Syllables
ar-cane
IPA
/ɑɹˈkeɪn/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Understood by only a few.

adj

Obscure, mysterious.

adj

Requiring secret or mysterious knowledge to understand.

adj

Extremely old (e.g. interpretation or knowledge), and possibly irrelevant.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂erk-der. Latin arca Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Italic *-nos Proto-Italic *-ānos Latin -ānus Latin arcānusbor. English arcane Borrowed from Latin arcānus (“hidden, secret”), from arceō (“to shut up, enclose”); cognate with Latin arca (“a chest”).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ɑɹˈkeɪn/

Inflected Forms

more arcane (comparative) most arcane (superlative)

Derived Forms

arcanely arcaneness arcanist arcanity arcanology superarcane

Frequently Paired Words

arcana arculus

Synonyms

esoteric enigmatic recondite clandestine arcane dark mystic obscure occult

Antonyms

mundane accessible exoteric irrecondite nonesoteric open well-known

Rhymes With

main pain campaign train brain explain remain gain plane rain chain maintain

Questions

How do you pronounce arcane?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɑɹˈkeɪn/.
What does arcane mean?
Understood by only a few.
Where does arcane come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce arcane

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “arcane”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɑɹˈkeɪn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “arcane”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “arcane” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.