Mystery Began as a Secret Rite
A mystery is something that cannot be explained. The Greek original named religious rites open only to initiates.
A mystery is something unexplained, or a story about solving one. The Greek *mysterion* meant a secret rite, and the mystery religions of the ancient Mediterranean admitted only initiates who had sworn silence. The sense of a puzzle came much later, and the detective novel later still.
- Something unexplained. *The cause remains a mystery.*
- A story about a crime. *A murder mystery.*
- A religious truth beyond reason. *The mystery of faith.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mystery | A complete mystery. |
| Plural | mysteries | Ancient mysteries. |
| Adjective | mysterious | A mysterious light. |
| Adverb | mysteriously | He vanished mysteriously. |
| Related | mystic | A medieval mystic. |
How it is used in a sentence
- How the fire started is still a mystery.Countable.
- She writes mysteries set in the 1930s.The genre.
- He was mysteriously absent.Adverb.
Mystery in different fields
- Mystery religion — an ancient cult with secret rites
- Mystery play — a medieval drama staged by craft guilds
- Whodunit — a detective story built on the puzzle
- Cosy mystery — a gentle subgenre with an amateur detective
- Locked-room mystery — a crime that seems impossible
From Latin *mysterium*, from Greek *mysterion*, a secret rite, from *myein*, to close the lips or eyes. The medieval *mystery play* comes from a different word, *ministerium*, meaning a craft or trade.
Why were medieval plays called mystery plays?
From *ministerium*, a craft or occupation: the plays were staged by trade guilds. It is unrelated to mystery meaning a puzzle.
Mystery or enigma?
An enigma is deliberately puzzling, often a riddle or a puzzling person. A mystery is simply unexplained.