enigma
Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicableSomething or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
» Tom is an enigma.
Том — человек-загадка.
Meaning
9 senses(countable, uncountable)Something or someone puzzling, mysterious or inexplicable.
Rätsel, Mysterium, Enigma
зага́дкаzagádka
зага́дкаzahádka
(countable, uncountable)A riddle, or a difficult problem.
Rätsel, Knobelei, Rateaufgabe
зага́дкаzagádka, головоло́мкаgolovolómka
зага́дкаzahádka
a difficult problem
(countable, uncountable)Riddles and puzzles, collectively.
(countable, uncountable)Mysteriousness; obscurity; a lack of clarity.
(countable, uncountable)A style of literature characterized by obscurity and hints of transcendental meaning.
(countable, uncountable)A protein with three LIM domains (a conserved cysteine- and histidine-rich structure of two adjacent zinc fingers) at the C terminus that regulates protein phosphorylation.
(countable, uncountable)The Talaud kingfisher, Todiramphus enigma.
(countable, uncountable)Any member of the species Oedaleonotus enigma of grasshoppers.
(countable, uncountable)Any member of the species Heliothis enigma of rare moths.
Examples
18 sentencesTom is an enigma.
ruТом — человек-загадка.
Sometimes I am an enigma to myself.
ruИногда я сам для себя непонятен.
deManchmal bin ich mir selbst ein Fragezeichen.
He's always been an enigma to me.
What she said was an enigma to me.
ruТо, что она сказала, было для меня загадкой.
I haven't found a solution to this enigma.
ruЯ не нашёл решения этой загадке.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From Latin aenigma (“riddle”), being derived itself from the Ancient Greek verbal noun αἴνFrom Latin aenigma (“riddle”), being derived itself from the Ancient Greek verbal noun αἴνιγμα (aínigma, “dark saying, speaking in riddles”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: enigmas / enigmataSynonyms
6 synonyms- something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained:mysterysecretclosed book
- a difficult problem:riddleconundrumbrain-teaser
Word family
5 related wordsLessons for this word
2 lessons- A1Plural nouns — Because its plural is irregular
- A1Countable and uncountable nouns — Because it can be uncountable