mystique
[mi-steek]
- a framework of doctrines, ideas, beliefs, or the like, constructed around a person or object, endowing the person or object with enhanced value or profound meaning: the mystique of Poe.
- an aura of mystery or mystical power surrounding a particular occupation or pursuit: the mystique of nuclear science.
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Origin of mystique
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for mystique
Contemporary Examples
“We were raised with this mystique about the accident being the chink in this important legacy,” she says.
The Price of Being a Patton: Wrestling With the Legacy of America’s Most Famous GeneralTim Teeman
May 26, 2014
Did Jennifer Lawrence wear a new blue Mystique suit in this film?
For years, Goldman had the greatest cachet and mystique among this crowd.
Bridgewater May Be the Hottest Hedge Fund for Harvard Grads, but It’s Also the WeirdestDaniel Gross
March 7, 2013
There was no mystique surrounding nuclear waste, just respect for the physical threat it posed.
What once had the mystique aspired to by elite women now seemed just stuff.
Brooke Astor’s Estate Is Auctioned, and a Friend Recalls Her FondlyBarbara Goldsmith
September 29, 2012
Historical Examples
Gebhards Italie mystique is interesting in connection with Francis.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)Henry Osborn Taylor
mystique
- an aura of mystery, power, and awe that surrounds a person or thingthe mystique of the theatre; the mystique of computer programming
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Word Origin
C20: from French (adj): mystic
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for mystique
n.
1891, "atmosphere of mystery," from French mystique "a mystic; mystical," from Latin mysticus (see mystic (adj.)).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper