enigma
[ uh-nig-muh ]
/ əˈnɪg mə /
noun, plural e·nig·mas; Chiefly Archaic e·nig·ma·ta [uh-nig-muh-tuh]. /əˈnɪg mə tə/.
a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation: His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.
a person of puzzling or contradictory character: To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.
a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.
(initial capital letter) a German-built enciphering machine developed for commercial use in the early 1920s and later adapted and appropriated by German and other Axis powers for military use through World War II.
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Origin of enigma
First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin aenigma, from Greek aínigma, equivalent to ainik- (stem of ainíssesthai “to speak in riddles,” derivative of aînos fable) + -ma noun suffix of result
synonym study for enigma
1. See puzzle.
Words nearby enigma
enhancer, enharmonic, enharmonic modulation, enhearten, Enid, enigma, enigmatic, enigmatize, enisle, Eniwetok, enjambment
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for enigma
British Dictionary definitions for enigma
enigma
/ (ɪˈnɪɡmə) /
noun
a person, thing, or situation that is mysterious, puzzling, or ambiguous
Derived forms of enigma
enigmatic (ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk) or enigmatical, adjectiveenigmatically, adverbWord Origin for enigma
C16: from Latin aenigma, from Greek ainigma, from ainissesthai to speak in riddles, from ainos fable, story
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