Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A deep secret; a mystery.
  • noun Specialized knowledge or detail that is mysterious to the average person.
  • noun A secret essence or remedy; an elixir.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A secret; a mystery: generally used in the plural: as, the arcana of nature.
  • noun In alchemy, a supposed great secret of nature, which was to be discovered by alchemical means; the secret virtue of anything.
  • noun A secret remedy reputed to be very efficacious; a marvelous elixir.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A secret; a mystery; -- generally used in the plural.
  • noun (Med.) A secret remedy; an elixir.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A mystery or deep secret.
  • noun An elixir or secret remedy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun information known only to a special group

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin arcānum, from neuter of arcānus, secret; see arcane.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin.

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Examples

  • I see exactly what you mean, and it fits really well with some of my own vaguer concerns with the belief in arcanum that marks out magic realism.

    Notes on Strange Fiction: Seams Hal Duncan 2008

  • In fact, it's precisely because we do not know how it works that we do not rule out the possibility that it does in fact work, the possibility even that others might understand the workings we do not -- hence the term arcanum, with its associations of secret knowledge.

    Archive 2008-08-01 Hal Duncan 2008

  • In fact, it's precisely because we do not know how it works that we do not rule out the possibility that it does in fact work, the possibility even that others might understand the workings we do not -- hence the term arcanum, with its associations of secret knowledge.

    Notes on Strange Fiction: Seams Hal Duncan 2008

  • Freemasonry were off-shoots of the original Cabala, and that during the past 150 years new associations had been formed, and the parties who had introduced me into their arcanum were a society in affiliation with many others then in existence in different countries.

    Buchanan's Journal of Man, January 1888 Volume 1, Number 12 1856

  • The ministers of the word preach, and would be accepted with the people; take this "arcanum," [the secret] of it, -- pray over it; and it is the only way to have it accepted in the hearts of the people: follow it on with prayer.

    The Sermons of John Owen 1616-1683 1968

  • This is an arcanum which is brought within the range of the understanding by the doctrine of degrees.

    Angelic Wisdom Concerning the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom Emanuel Swedenborg 1730

  • So Dumuzi may become a chimera/arcanum as he transforms into a gazelle in his bid to escape the demons pursuing him, but relative to his society and worldscape he is disempowered, a humble shepherd, a boy crying for his mother — a nobody.

    A Theory of Modes and Modalities Hal Duncan 2009

  • There was the arcanum; each yellow grain conduced to my exaltation, and the sum of these grains was the sum of my mightiness.

    The Dignity of Dollars 2010

  • So Dumuzi may become a chimera/arcanum as he transforms into a gazelle in his bid to escape the demons pursuing him, but relative to his society and worldscape he is disempowered, a humble shepherd, a boy crying for his mother — a nobody.

    Archive 2009-07-01 Hal Duncan 2009

  • A straightforward trivia game with plenty of questions to challenge novices (was Dwayne Wade an All-American...in the '60s?) and gratify experts (did Sam Perkins play at UNC or Memphis?) plus bonuses and achievements to spur you through them, iQ gives you the motivation you need to memorize your NCAA arcanum and show your buds who's boss—or at least finally understand all the fuss about John Wooden.$1, available on iPhone

    Your iPhone's on Fire, Baby! 2011

Comments

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  • A fascinating book!

    August 20, 2009

  • Good! It's on my reading list.

    August 20, 2009