mystery
pronunciation
How to pronounce mystery in British English:
UK [ˈmɪstri]
How to pronounce mystery in American English:
US [ˈmɪstəri]
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- Noun:
- something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
- a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie
Word Origin
- mystery
- mystery: [14] Greek múein meant ‘close one’s eyes or mouth’, and hence was used figuratively for ‘keep secret’. Its association with secret initiation ceremonies inspired the formation from it of muein ‘initiate’, whose derivative mústēs meant ‘initiated person’. This in turn formed the basis of mustérion ‘secret ceremony, secret thing’, which passed into English via Latin mystērium. Also derived from mústēs was mustikós, from which ultimately English gets mystic [14] and mystical [15].=> mystic
- mystery (n.1)
- early 14c., in a theological sense, "religious truth via divine revelation, hidden spiritual significance, mystical truth," from Anglo-French *misterie, Old French mistere "secret, mystery, hidden meaning" (Modern French mystère), from Latin mysterium "secret rite, secret worship; a secret thing," from Greek mysterion (usually in plural mysteria) "secret rite or doctrine," from mystes "one who has been initiated," from myein "to close, shut" (see mute (adj.)); perhaps referring to the lips (in secrecy) or to the eyes (only initiates were allowed to see the sacred rites). The Greek word was used in Septuagint for "secret counsel of God," translated in Vulgate as sacramentum. Non-theological use in English, "a hidden or secret thing," is from late 14c. In reference to the ancient rites of Greece, Egypt, etc. it is attested from 1640s. Meaning "detective story" first recorded in English 1908.
- mystery (n.2)
- "handicraft, trade, art" (archaic), late 14c., from Medieval Latin misterium, alteration of Latin ministerium "service, occupation, office, ministry" (see ministry), influenced in form by Medieval Latin mysterium (see mystery (n.1)) and in sense by maistrie "mastery." Now only in mystery play, in reference to the medieval performances, which often were staged by members of craft guilds. The two senses of mystery formed a common pun in (secular) Tudor theater.
Example
- 1. The remoteness and mystery of the place stoked my curiosity .
- 2. The nature , the timing and the conditions attached to that help is the main mystery here .
- 3. There has always been a bit of mystery to richard nanula .
- 4. That 's a mystery , though it isn 't a surprise .
- 5. But a mystery has emerged from the case reports .