mystery
/ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.45 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
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.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A religious truth not understandable by the application of human reason alone (without divine aid).
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A secret religious celebration, admission to which was usually through initiation.
Countable; Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "The truth behind the events remains a mystery."
- "The case was that of a murder. It had an element of mystery about it, however, which was puzzling the authorities. A turban and loincloth soaked in blood had been found; also a staff."
- "The fate of the railway from Ballater to Braemar has been invested with an air of mystery, which has never been completely dispelled. It has been suggested that Queen Victoria was opposed to a railway in the vicinity of Balmoral Castle, and intervened personally to secure the abandonment of the line beyond Ballater."
- "That man is a mystery."
- "Then I had a good think on the subject of the hocussing of Cigarette, and I was reluctantly bound to admit that once again the man in the corner had found the only possible solution to the mystery."
- "The Moralities displayed something more of art and invention than the Mysteries; in them virtues, vices and qualities were personified, and something like a plot was frequently to be discovered."
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, “to initiate”), from μύω (múō, “to shut”). Displaced native Old English ġerȳne.