Enigma

[Fr. énigme; Lat. ænigma; Gr. ainigma, from a in is soma i, to speak darkly, from ainos, a tale, a story. A proposition put in obscure or ambiguous terms to puzzle or exercise the ingenuity in discovering its meaning. In the present day, the E. serves merely to beguile a leisure hour; but formerly it was considered a matter of such importance that the Eastern monarchs used to send emba ies for the solution of enigmas. The E. which Samson proposed to the Philistines, and the still more famous riddle of the SPHINX ( q. v. ), are well known. About the 17th century the E., which had been for centuries neglected as a species of literary display, again came into favor; and in France particularly it was cultivated with so much zeal, that several grand treatises were dedicated to its history and characteristics. -A dark saying, in which some known thing is concealed under obscure language; an obscure question; a riddle. Enigmatic, or ENIGMATICAL, a. [Fr. énigmatique, from L. Lat. ænigmaticus .] Relating to or containing an enigma or a riddle; obscure; darkly expre ed; ambig- uous; obscurely conceived or apprehended. Enigmatically, adv . In an obscure manner. Enig'matist, n. [Gr. ainigmatistes .] A maker or dealer in enigmas and riddles. Enigmatize, v. n . To utter or form enigmas; to deal in riddles.