mystery

mys·ter·y¹

M0513300 (mĭs′tə-rē)n. pl. mys·ter·ies 1. One that is not fully understood or that baffles or eludes the understanding; an enigma: How he got in is a mystery.2. One whose identity is unknown and who arouses curiosity: The woman in the photograph is a mystery.3. A mysterious character or quality: a landscape with mystery and charm.4. Something that is a secret: "From the first, some private trouble weighed on his mind, and since he chose to make a mystery of its cause, a biographer is bound to respect his wish" (Henry Adams).5. a. A work of fiction, such as a novel or a movie, that has a story centered around solving a puzzling crime or mysterious event.b. A nonfictional account of a puzzling crime or mysterious event presented in the manner of a mystery.6. a. A religious cult practicing secret rites to which only initiates are admitted.b. A secret rite of such a cult.7. A religious truth that is incomprehensible to reason and knowable only through divine revelation.8. Christianity a. An incident from the life of Jesus, especially the Incarnation, Passion, Crucifixion, or Resurrection, of particular importance for redemption.b. One of the 15 incidents from the lives of Jesus or the Blessed Virgin Mary, such as the Annunciation or the Ascension, serving in Roman Catholicism as the subject of meditation during recitation of the rosary.9. a. also Mystery One of the sacraments, especially the Eucharist.b. mysteries The consecrated elements of the Eucharist.10. often mysteries The skills, lore, or practices that are peculiar to a particular activity or group and are regarded as the special province of initiates: the mysteries of Freemasonry; the mysteries of cooking game.11. A mystery play.

[Middle English misterie, from Latin mystērium, from Greek mustērion, secret rite, from mustēs, an initiate, from mūein, to close the eyes, initiate. Senses 8, 9, and perhaps 10, partly from Middle English misterie, occupation, craft-guild; see mystery².]

mys·ter·y²

M0513300 (mĭs′tə-rē)n. pl. mys·ter·ies Archaic 1. A trade or occupation.2. A guild, as of merchants or artisans.

[Middle English misterie, from Medieval Latin misterium, alteration (influenced by Latin mystērium, secret rite) of Latin ministerium, from minister, assistant, servant; see mei- in Indo-European roots.]

mystery

(ˈmɪstərɪ; -trɪ) n, pl -teries1. an unexplained or inexplicable event, phenomenon, etc2. a person or thing that arouses curiosity or suspense because of an unknown, obscure, or enigmatic quality3. the state or quality of being obscure, inexplicable, or enigmatic4. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) a story, film, etc, which arouses suspense and curiosity because of facts concealed5. (Ecclesiastical Terms) Christianity any truth that is divinely revealed but otherwise unknowable6. (Theology) Christianity a sacramental rite, such as the Eucharist, or (when plural) the consecrated elements of the Eucharist7. (Other Non-Christian Religions) (often plural) any of various rites of certain ancient Mediterranean religions8. (Theatre) short for mystery play[C14: via Latin from Greek mustērion secret rites. See mystic]

mystery

(ˈmɪstərɪ) n, pl -teries1. (Professions) a trade, occupation, or craft2. (Crafts) a guild of craftsmen[C14: from Medieval Latin mistērium, from Latin ministerium occupation, from minister official]

mys•ter•y¹

(ˈmɪs tə ri, -tri)

n., pl. -ter•ies. 1. anything that is kept secret or remains unexplained or unknown: the mysteries of nature. 2. a person or thing having qualities that arouse curiosity or speculation: The masked guest was a mystery to everyone. 3. a novel, film, or the like whose plot involves the solving of a puzzle, esp. a crime. 4. the quality of being obscure or puzzling: an air of mystery. 5. any truth unknowable except by divine revelation. 6. (in the Christian religion) a. a sacramental rite. b. the Eucharist. 7. an incident or scene in the life or passion of Christ, or in the life of the Virgin Mary. 8. mysteries, a. ancient religions with secret rites and rituals known only to initiates. b. any rites or secrets known only to initiates. c. (in the Christian religion) the Eucharistic elements. 9. mystery play. [1275–1325; Middle English < Latin mystērium < Greek mystḗrion=mýs(tēs) (see mystic) + -tērion n. suffix]

mys•ter•y²

(ˈmɪs tə ri)

n., pl. -ter•ies. Archaic. 1. a craft or trade. 2. a guild, as of merchants. [1325–75; « Latin ministerium ministry]

mystery

bags of mystery - Slang for sausage.
mystery - Traces back to Greek mustikos, "secret," and musterion, "secret rites"; the lesser-known meaning of mystery as "handicraft; art" is part of the phrase "mystery play."
mystify - Derived from mystery or mystic.
rune - An ancient alphabet letter, it is from Old English run, "secret, mystery."

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	mystery - something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained; "how it got out is a mystery"; "it remains one of nature's secrets"closed book, enigma, secretperplexity - trouble or confusion resulting from complexity
	2.	mystery - a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or moviemystery story, whodunitstory - a piece of fiction that narrates a chain of related events; "he writes stories for the magazines"detective story - a narrative about someone who investigates crimes and obtains evidence leading to their resolutionmurder mystery - a narrative about a murder and how the murderer is discovered

mystery

noun1. puzzle, problem, question, secret, riddle, enigma, conundrum, teaser, poser (informal), closed book The source of the gunshots still remains a mystery.2. secrecy, uncertainty, obscurity, mystique, darkness, ambiguity, ambiguousness It is an elaborate ceremony, shrouded in mystery.

mystery

nounAnything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret:conundrum, enigma, perplexity, puzzle, puzzler, riddle.

Translations

神秘神秘的事物

mystery

(ˈmistəri) – plural ˈmysteries – noun1. something that cannot be, or has not been, explained. the mystery of how the universe was formed; the mystery of his disappearance; How she passed her exam is a mystery to me.神秘的事物2. the quality of being impossible to explain, understand etc. Her death was surrounded by mystery.神秘myˈsterious (-ˈstiəriəs) adjective difficult to understand or explain, or full of mystery. mysterious happenings; He's being very mysterious (= refuses to explain fully) about what his work is神秘的myˈsteriously adverb神秘地

mystery

→ 神秘zhCN

mystery

mystery story,

literary genre in which the cause (or causes) of a mysterious happening, often a crime, is gradually revealed by the hero or heroine; this is accomplished through a mixture of intelligence, ingenuity, the logical interpretation of evidence, and sometimes sheer luck.

History

Although some critics trace the origins of the genre to such disparate works as Aesop's fables, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, and the Apocrypha, most agree that the Western mystery, complete with all its conventions, emerged in 1841 with the publication of Edgar Allan PoePoe, Edgar Allan,
1809–49, American poet, short-story writer, and critic, b. Boston. He is acknowledged today as one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature.
..... Click the link for more information. 's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." This and all of Poe's "tales of ratiocination" feature the chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, a brilliant amateur detective, who, by a keen analysis of motives and clues, solves crimes that are baffling to the police.

The first full-length mystery novels were probably Wilkie CollinsCollins, Wilkie
(William Wilkie Collins), 1824–89, English novelist. Although trained as a lawyer, he spent most of his life writing. He produced some 30 novels, the best known of which are two mystery stories, The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone
..... Click the link for more information. 's The Woman in White (1860) and The Moonstone (1868), which continued Poe's concept of the brilliant detective—although Collins's rose-growing Sergeant Cuff is a policeman—and added an emphasis on the sleuth's idiosyncrasies. Charles DickensDickens, Charles,
1812–70, English author, b. Portsmouth, one of the world's most popular, prolific, and skilled novelists. Early Life and Works

The son of a naval clerk, Dickens spent his early childhood in London and in Chatham.
..... Click the link for more information. 's The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1870) is a detective novel that is both intriguing and frustrating because, since the novel is unfinished, its crime is never solved. In 1887 Arthur Conan DoyleDoyle, Sir Arthur Conan
, 1859–1930, British author and creator of Sherlock Holmes, b. Edinburgh. Educated at the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, he received a medical degree in 1881.
..... Click the link for more information. published "A Study in Scarlet," which introduced Sherlock Holmes, destined to become the most famous of all literary detectives. This vain and aloof amateur sleuth, with a fondness for pipes, violins, and cocaine, solves crimes through extraordinarily perceptive recognition and interpretation of evidence.

Like Conan Doyle, subsequent mystery writers often featured the same detective in several works. Especially popular have been G. K. ChestertonChesterton, G. K.
(Gilbert Keith Chesterton), 1874–1936, English author. Conservative, even reactionary, in his thinking, Chesterton was a convert (1922) to Roman Catholicism and its champion.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Father Brown, E. D. Biggers's Charlie Chan, S. S. Van Dine's Philo Vance, Raymond ChandlerChandler, Raymond Thornton,
1888–1959, American author, b. Chicago, educated in England. After World War I, he entered the oil business in California. Bankrupt during the Depression, he published his first of many detective stories in The Black Mask magazine (1933).
..... Click the link for more information. 's Philip Marlowe, Rex StoutStout, Rex,
1886–1975, American writer, b. Noblesville, Ind. He served in the navy and worked in New York City as founder and director of the Vanguard Press. His best-known works are nearly 70 mystery stories featuring Nero Wolfe, a large gourmet detective who solves
..... Click the link for more information. 's Nero Wolfe, Agatha ChristieChristie, Dame Agatha,
1890–1976, English detective story writer, b. Torquay, Devon, as Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller. Christie's second husband was the archaeologist Sir Max Mallowan, and she gained much material for her later novels during his excavations in the Middle
..... Click the link for more information. 's Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple, Georges SimenonSimenon, Georges
, 1903–89, Belgian novelist. One of the most prolific of modern authors, he is best known for the more than 75 stories he wrote featuring the intuitive French police detective Inspector Maigret.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Inspector Maigret, Dorothy SayersSayers, Dorothy Leigh
, 1893–1957, English writer, grad. Somerville College, Oxford, 1915. Taking first-class honors in medieval literature, she was one of the first women to receive an Oxford degree.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Lord Peter Wimsey, Leslie Charteris's "The Saint," Robert van Gulick's Magistrate Dee, Harry Kemelman's Rabbi David Small, Emma Lathan's John Putnam Thatcher, Ellery Queen in the works of Frederic Dannay and M. B. Lee, P. D. JamesJames, P. D.
(Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park), 1920–2014, English mystery novelist, b. Oxford. From 1964 to 1979 she worked in the forensic science and criminal law divisions of the Department of Home Affairs.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Adam Dalgleish, Walter MosleyMosley, Walter,
1952–, African-American author, b. Los Angeles. He was a computer programmer until his first novel, the best-selling mystery Devil in a Blue Dress (1990; film, 1995), was published.
..... Click the link for more information. 's Easy Rawlins, Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse, and the various Washington, D.C. private eyes (private investigators) in the novels of George Pelecanos.

Types of Mysteries

Many authors incorporate the conventions of the mystery into the novel, producing works that are warm, witty, often erudite, and filled with interesting characters and atmosphere. Such authors include Dorothy Sayers, Michael InnesInnes, Michael,
pseud. of John Innes Mackintosh Stewart,
1906–94, British writer and scholar, b. near Edinburgh. From 1969 to 1973 he was a reader in English literature at Oxford.
..... Click the link for more information. , Josephine Tey, Nicholas Blake, Edgar Wallace, Ngaio MarshMarsh, Dame Ngaio
, 1899–1982, New Zealand detective story writer. She was an art student, actress, and theatrical producer before her first novel, A Man Lay Dead, was published in 1934.
..... Click the link for more information. , Philip McDonald, Anna K. Green, Carolyn Wells, Mary Roberts RinehartRinehart, Mary Roberts
, 1876–1958, American novelist, b. Pittsburgh. A graduate nurse, she married Dr. Stanley M. Rinehart in 1896. The first of her many mystery stories, The Circular Staircase
..... Click the link for more information. , Elizabeth Daly, Peter DickinsonDickinson, Peter
(Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson), 1927–2015, b. Livingstone, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). The son of a civil servant, he returned to England (1935) with his family and attended King's College, Cambridge (B.A.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Hilda Lawrence. Some detective novels focus on the actions of the police in solving a crime; notable police-procedural novelists are Freeman Wills Crofts, George Bagby, Ed McBain, and Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö.

Dashiell HammettHammett, Dashiell
, 1894–1961, American writer, b. St. Mary's co., Maryland. After a variety of jobs, including several years working as a detective for the Pinkerton agency, beginning in the early 1920s he found success as a writer, largely originating the hard-boiled
..... Click the link for more information. initiated the hard-boiled detective genre, featuring tough, brash, yet honorable private eyes living on the seedy criminal fringe and involved in violent and incredibly complex crimes. Other writers in this genre are Raymond Chandler, James M. CainCain, James Mallahan,
1892–1977, American novelist, b. Annapolis, Md., grad. Washington College, 1910. He taught journalism (1924–25), wrote political commentaries for the New York World (1924–31), and was a Hollywood screenwriter (1931–33).
..... Click the link for more information. , Chester Himes, Ross MacdonaldMacdonald, Ross,
pseud. of Kenneth Millar,
1915–83, American novelist, b. Los Gatos, Calif. He was educated in Canada and at the Univ. of Michigan. Macdonald's mystery novels center on the tough but compassionate private detective, Lew Archer.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Elmore LeonardLeonard, Elmore
(John Elmore Leonard), 1925–2013, American novelist, b. New Orleans, grad. Univ. of Detroit (1950). "Dutch" Leonard began publishing Western tales in the early 1950s, the best known of which is the short novel Hombre (1961; film, 1967).
..... Click the link for more information. and, adding lurid sex and brutality, James Hadley Chase and Mickey SpillaneSpillane, Mickey
(Frank Morrison Spillane), 1918–2006, American mystery writer, b. Brooklyn, N.Y. After contributing stories to comic books and pulp magazines, Spillane wrote his first novel, I, the Jury
..... Click the link for more information. . There has been a resurgence of interest in hard-boiled stories, such as those by Jim Thompson and Charles Willeford.

An extension of the detective novel is the espionage tale, which became very popular in the 1960s. Usually convoluted in plot, these novels emphasize action, sex, and innovative cruelty and sometimes stress the moral ambiguity of the spy's world. Noted authors of espionage novels are Graham GreeneGreene, Graham
(Henry Graham Greene), 1904–91, English novelist and playwright. Although most of his works combine elements of the detective story, the spy thriller, and the psychological drama, his novels are essentially parables of the damned.
..... Click the link for more information. , Eric AmblerAmbler, Eric,
1909–98, English novelist. An advertising executive, he turned exclusively to writing after his realistic and innovative suspense novels became popular. Ambler has often been called the first thriller writer whose work succeeded as literature.
..... Click the link for more information. , Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, John le Carréle Carré, John
, pseud. of David John Moore Cornwell,
1931–, English novelist, b. Poole, Dorset, grad. Oxford, 1956. He was a tutor at Eton College (1956–58), and subsequently worked for the British foreign service in Germany (1961–64).
..... Click the link for more information. , Alan Furst, and Tom Clancy.

In the subtle and perceptive works of writers such as Georges Simenon and Nicholas Freeling the psychological reasons behind a crime are often emphasized more than the crime's solution. Other writers, notably Julian Symons, have extended this emphasis, maintaining that early mysteries, with their country-house settings and aristocratic characters, are snobbish and escapist. Attempting to be contemporary and meaningful, these authors probe the psychological and sociological aspects of a crime, often producing grim and uncomfortable conclusions. The courtroom drama has also been popular, as seen in the success of Erle Stanley Gardner's many Perry Mason books, Scott Turow's Presumed Innocent (1987), The Pelican Brief (1992) and other thrillers by John Grisham, and other tales of legal suspense.

Despite its conventions, good writers can make the mystery novel their own. For example, Agatha Christie is noted for her clever plots, John Dickson Carr for his ingenious "locked room" mysteries, Dick Francis for his depiction of the horse-racing world, Ruth Rendell for her novels combining character and atmosphere with absorbing police procedure, perceptive sociological and psychological analysis, and a sense of life's tragedy, and Sweden's Stieg Larsson for a dark, wintry world of violence, sex, and international skulduggery. Other popular detective novelists include Sue Grafton, Sara Paretsky, and Amanda Cross (all of whom feature heroines) and the often humorous Elmore Leonard, Lawrence Block, Walter Mosley, Tony Hillerman, and Gregory Mcdonald. In the 21st cent. an outstanding novelist specializing in contemporary detective mysteries is Tana French, whose linked works feature a series of partners, all of whom are members of Ireland's Dublin Murder Squad.

See also Gothic romanceGothic romance,
type of novel that flourished in the late 18th and early 19th cent. in England. Gothic romances were mysteries, often involving the supernatural and heavily tinged with horror, and they were usually set against dark backgrounds of medieval ruins and haunted
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See H. Haycroft, The Life and Times of the Detective Story (1984), J. Barzun and W. H. Taylor, A Catalogue of Crime (rev. ed. 1985) J. Symons, Bloody Murder (1986), B. A. Rader and H. G. Zettler, ed., The Sleuth and the Scholar (1988), T. J. Binyon, Murder Will Out (1989), S. Oleksiw, A Reader's Guide to the Classic British Mystery (1989), T. Hillerman, ed., The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century (2000), and O. Penzler, ed., The Great Detectives (1978) and The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest Detectives (2009); W. Albert, ed., Detective and Mystery Fiction: An International Bibliography of Secondary Sources (1985); P. D. James, Talking about Detective Fiction (2009).

Mystery

abominable snowmenthe yeti of Tibet; believed to exist, yet no sure knowledge concerning them. [Asian Hist.: Wallechinsky, 443–444]Bermuda Trianglesection of North Atlantic where many planes and ships have mysteriously disappeared. [Am. Hist.: EB, I: 1007]Big Foot(Sasquatch) man ape similar to the yeti; reputed to have been seen in northwestern U.S. [Am. Hist.: “Yeti” in Wallechinsky, 443–444]closed bookmedieval symbolism for the unknown. [Christian Symbolism: Appleton, 13]Dark Lady, Thementioned in Shakespeare’s later sonnets; she has never been positively identified. [Br. Lit.: Century Cyclopedia, I: 1191]E = mc²physical law of mass and energy; arcanum to layman. [Am. Hist.: Flexner, 298]Easter Island’s statuesorigin and meaning of more than two hundred statues remain unknown. [World Hist.: Wallechinsky, 443]Eleusinian Mysteriesancient religious rites; its secrets have never been discovered. [Gk. Myth.: Benét, 305]Lady or the Tiger, TheStockton’s tale never reveals which fate awaits the youth who dared fall in love with the king’s daughter. [Am. Lit.: Benét, 559]Loch Ness monstersupposed sea serpent dwelling in lake. [Scot. Hist.: Wallechinsky, 443]Man in the Iron Maskmysterious prisoner in reign of Louis XIV, condemned to wear black mask at all times. [Fr. Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 460]Mary Celesteship found in mid-Atlantic with sails set, crew missing (1872). [Br. Hist.: Espy, 337]Mona Lisaenigmatic smile beguiles and bewilders. [Ital. Art: Wallechinsky, 190]Roanokefate of colony has never been established (1580s). [Am. Hist.: Jameson, 430]Sphinxhalf woman, half lion; poser of almost unanswerable riddle. [Gk. Myth.: Howe, 258; Gk. Lit.: Oedipus Rex]Stonehengehuge monoliths with lintels in Wiltshire, England, have long confounded modern man as to purpose. [Br. Hist.: Wallechinsky, 442]U.F.O.unexplained and unidentified flying object. [Science: Brewer Dictionary, 1112]

mystery

¹1. a story, film, etc., which arouses suspense and curiosity because of facts concealed 2. Christianity any truth that is divinely revealed but otherwise unknowable 3. Christianity a sacramental rite, such as the Eucharist, or (when pl.) the consecrated elements of the Eucharist 4. any of various rites of certain ancient Mediterranean religions 5. short for mystery play

mystery

² Archaic a guild of craftsmen

mystery

mys·ter·y 1

mys·ter·y 2

mystery

mystery

mys•ter•y1

mys•ter•y2

mystery

mystery

mystery

mystery

mystery

mystery

a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma

a mystery to (one)

be another of life's great mysteries

mystery meat

mystery meat

mystery

mystery

mystery story,

History

Types of Mysteries

Bibliography

Mystery

mystery

mystery

mystery

Synonyms for mystery

noun puzzle

Synonyms

noun secrecy

Synonyms

Synonyms for mystery

noun anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret

Synonyms

Synonyms for mystery

noun something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained

Synonyms

Related Words

noun a story about a crime (usually murder) presented as a novel or play or movie

Synonyms

Related Words

mys·ter·y¹

mys·ter·y²

mys•ter•y¹

mys•ter•y²