whodunit
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whodunit
- /ˌhuːˈdʌn.ɪt/ UK, US
Where it comes from
Coined by critic Donald Gordon in 1930. An alteration and univerbation of who done it? with ellipsis of has.
noun whodunits · whodunnit
-
A novel or drama concerning a crime (usually a murder) in which a detective follows clues to determine the perpetrator.
Actually, an whodunit is a mystery story. The hero is generally a detective, although sometimes he is a gentleman (apparently a mild mannered worm) who sallies forth at night to become Public Enemy No. One of Crime. Otherwise, the formula is exactly the same as that of the Cliff-hanger and follows t
Similar: detective novel, detective story, mystery story
Translations
Every language
noun a crime novel or drama
| Español | novela policíaca, novela policial |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 추리소설 churisoseol, 범죄물 beomjoemul |
| 日本語 | 推理小説 suiri shōsetsu, 犯罪小説 hanzai shōsetsu, クライム・ノベル kuraimu-noberu |
| 中文 | 偵探小說 /侦探小说 zhēntàn xiǎoshuō, 犯罪小說 /犯罪小说 fànzuì xiǎoshuō |
| Português | romance criminal |
| Français | roman policier |
| Deutsch | Kriminalroman, Krimi, Detektivroman |
| Italiano | giallo |
| Română | roman polițist |
| Русский | детекти́вный рома́н dɛtɛktívnyj román, детекти́в dɛtɛktív |
Talk about this word "whodunit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/whodunit. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. whodunit. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/whodunit "whodunit." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/whodunit.Cite this
@misc{whodunit_2026,
title = {whodunit},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/whodunit},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
