dilemma

First recorded in 1515–25; from Late Latin, from Greek dílēmma, equivalent to di- “two, twice” (see di-¹) + lêmma “an assumption, premise,” derivative of lambánein “to take”

1. See predicament.

The word dilemma combines di-, a prefix meaning "two," with lemma, meaning "a proposition, theme, or subject." Our world is filled with propositions, themes, and subjects—matters about which we have to make a variety of decisions as we move through life. If we are forced to make a choice between two courses of action, or between doing something and not doing it, and if neither choice is a good one, we are in a dilemma in its primary sense—faced with a double bind, caught between Scylla and Charybdis, trapped between a rock and a hard place, and truly on the horns of a dilemma. As we can see, the sense of dilemma that deals exclusively with two unpleasant alternatives is powerful enough to have engendered a good deal of descriptive language over the years. But in today’s complex environment, if people tell you they are in a dilemma, you cannot be sure that their problem is restricted to two choices. They may be facing a situation of much greater complexity. While the first meaning is still the most common, the broadening of dilemma to include this more general sense of "any difficult or perplexing situation or problem," is an example of normal language growth. The first meaning of dilemma, involving two choices, remains alive and well. But this broader meaning is not only common and acceptable, it is found in multiple examples of educated writing.