Word of the Day

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Another day to write something using our word of the day, then post it in the comments.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9

Arcane

[ahr-CANE]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: latin, mid-16th century

• Requiring knowledge only known to a few people
• Obscure or mysterious

Examples of Arcane in a sentence

• Admittance to the arcane branch of study at the university was limited to a few people a year.
• Her interest in arcane artifacts was rooted in her love of medieval history.

About Arcane

"Arcane" may have a flavor of the occult about it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean something associated with witchcraft. Instead, a more appropriate synonym is "esoteric," which is used to describe things understood by only a select few.

Did you Know?

You might think all knowledge is meant to be shared, but the roots of "arcane" imply a secretive nature. The Latin word "arcānus" means "secret or hidden," and that comes from "arceō," which implies to shut something up, as if in a chest. Talk about keeping it all to yourself.

Comments

[pfrye.livejournal.com]

Napoleon Solo was considered a modern man, adventurer, a lucky bon vivant. Ladies loved him, men admired him but very few actually knew Napoleon. Very few knew that his passion was Shakespeare. He could quote even the most arcane passages from memory.