mystery

mys-ter-y · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.

  2. 2.

    A novel, play, or film dealing with a puzzling crime, especially a murder.

  3. 3.

    A religious truth known only through divine revelation.

  4. 4.

    Secrecy or obscurity.

Forms

plural: mysteries

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    wrapped in mystery — completely unknown or secret
  • •
    mystery meat — unidentifiable meat, especially in cafeterias
  • •
    it's a mystery to me — I cannot understand it

Related words

Antonyms: certainty, clarity
See also: enigma, mysterious, secret
Synonyms: enigma, puzzle, riddle, secret

Etymology

From Latin mysterium, from Greek mysterion ("secret rite or doctrine"), from mystes ("one who has been initiated"), from myein ("to close, shut").