Definition of MYSTERY

mystery

Plural: mysteries

Noun

  • Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain.
  • something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
    • "how it got out is a mystery"
  • a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie
  • Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.
  • Someone or something with an obscure or puzzling nature.
  • An account, story, book, film, or play, often with the theme of crime or murder, with a surprise ending that explains all the strange events that have occurred.
  • A mystery play.
  • A secret or mystical meaning.
  • A religious truth not understandable by the application of human reason alone (without divine aid).
  • A sacrament.
  • A secret religious celebration, admission to which was usually through initiation.
  • A particular event or series of events in the life of Christ.
  • A craft, art or trade; specifically a guild of craftsmen.

Examples

  • That man is a mystery.
  • the Eleusinian mysteries
  • the Mysteries of Mithras
  • The mystery of where all the high-value letters disappeared was perplexing.
  • The second decade of the Rosary concerns the Sorrowful mysteries, such as the crucifixion and the crowning with thorns.
  • The truth behind the events remains a mystery.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English mysterie, from Anglo-Norman misterie (Old French mistere), from Latin mysterium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion, “a mystery, a secret, a secret rite”), from μύστης (mústēs, “initiated one”), from μυέω (muéō, “I initiate”), from μύω (múō, “I shut”). Displaced native Old English ġerȳne.

Synonyms

closed book, enigma, mystery story, secret, whodunit, roun

Scrabble Score: 15

mystery: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
mystery: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
mystery: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

mystery: valid Words With Friends Word