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.
Origin of enigma
1530–40; < Latin
aenigma < Greek
aínigma, equivalent to
ainik- (stem of
ainíssesthai to speak in riddles, derivative of
aînos fable) +
-ma noun suffix of result
Words nearby enigma
enhancer,
enharmonic,
enharmonic modulation,
enhearten,
enid,
enigma,
enigmatic,
enigmatize,
enisle,
eniwetok,
enjambment
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, adjective enigmatically, adverbWord Origin for enigma
C16: from Latin
aenigma, from Greek
ainigma, from
ainissesthai to speak in riddles, from
ainos fable, story