mystery
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mystery
- /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/
Rhymes with -ɪstəɹi
Where it comes from
From Middle English mysterie, from Anglo-Norman misterie (Old French mistere), from Latin mysterium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “a mystery, a secret, a secret rite”), from μύστης (mústēs, “initiated one”), from μυέω (muéō, “to initiate”), from μύω (múō, “to shut”). Displaced native Old English ġerȳne.
noun mysteries
- Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown. The truth behind the events remains a mystery.
- Someone or something with an obscure or puzzling nature. That man is a mystery.
- An account, story, book, film, or play, often with the theme of crime or murder, with a surprise ending that explains all the strange events that have occurred.
- A mystery play. The Moralities displayed something more of art and invention than the Mysteries; in them virtues, vices and qualities were personified, and something like a plot was frequently to be discovered.
- A secret or mystical meaning. […] and, not knowing the meaning or misterie of her pollicie, forgat no termes of reproche or rigorous rebuke against his chast doughter.
- A religious truth not understandable by the application of human reason alone (without divine aid). 1744 (first printed), Jonathan Swift, A Sermon on the Trinity If God should please to reveal unto us this great mystery of the Trinity, or some other mysteries in our holy religion, we should not be able to understand them, unless he would bestow on us some new faculties of the mind.
- A sacrament. There are seven mysteries, or sacraments, in the Greek church, viz. baptism, the chrism (a rite peculiar to this church), the eucharist, confession, ordination, marriage, and the holy oil.
- A secret religious celebration, admission to which was usually through initiation. the Eleusinian mysteries
- A particular event or series of events in the life of Christ. The second decade of the Rosary concerns the Sorrowful mysteries, such as the crucifixion and the crowning with thorns.
- A craft, art or trade; specifically a guild of craftsmen. The trades, the crafts, the mysteries, would all be losers.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: enigma, closed book, secret, whodunit, mystery story, mysterious, vagueness, vague, intriguing, ambiguous, mystique, cryptic, uncertainty, obscure, incomprehensible, weird
Translations
Every language
noun something secret or unexplainable
| Español | misterio, arcano |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 신비 sinbi, 미스터리 miseuteori |
| 日本語 | ミステリー misuterī, 不思議 fushigi, 神秘 shinpi |
| 中文 | 謎 /谜 mí, 謎團 /谜团 mítuán, 奧秘 /奥秘 àomì, 神秘 shénmì |
| हिन्दी | रहस्य rahasya, राज़ rāz, राज rāj, मुअम्मा muammā, सेर ser, उक़्दा uqdā |
| Kiswahili | siri, kilinge |
| Português | mistério |
| Français | mystère |
| Deutsch | Geheimnis, Rätsel |
| Italiano | mistero, arcano, enigma |
| Ελληνικά | μυστήριο mystírio |
| Română | mister |
| Русский | та́йна tájna, зага́дка zagádka |
| Tiếng Việt | bí ẩn, huyền bí |
| العربية | سِرّ sirr |
| עברית | תַּעֲלוּמָה ta'aluma, רז rázz, מיסטורין mystorinn |
noun someone or something with an obscure or puzzling nature
| 中文 | 怪人 guàirén, 怪事 guàishì |
|---|---|
| Português | mistério |
| Deutsch | Rätsel |
| Italiano | mistero, enigma, rebus |
| Русский | зага́дка zagádka |
| العربية | غُمُوض ḡumūḍ |
noun account, often about crime or murder, with an ending explaining all that happened
| 中文 | 懸疑小説 /悬疑小说 xuányí xiǎoshuì |
|---|
Talk about this word "mystery." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/mystery. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. mystery. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/mystery "mystery." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/mystery.Cite this
@misc{mystery_2026,
title = {mystery},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/mystery},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
