	Site Map \| FAQ in Daily Almanac for Feb 13, 2012
Skip Navigation Home Black History Month Atlas Encyclopedia Dictionary Thesaurus Features Quizzes Timelines Countries

Fact Monster Kid's reference,
games, quizzes

Editor's Favorites

| Share

Dictionary

e•nig•ma

Pronunciation: (u-nig'mu), [key]
—n.,
—pl. -mas, -ma•taPronunciation: (-mu-tu). [key]
1. a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation: His disappearance is an enigma that has given rise to much speculation.
2. a person of puzzling or contradictory character: To me he has always been an enigma, one minute completely insensitive, the next moved to tears.
3. a saying, question, picture, etc., containing a hidden meaning; riddle.
4. (cap.) a German-built enciphering machine developed for commercial use in the early 1920s and later adapted and appropriated by German and other Axis powers for military use through World War II.

Enid

enigmatic

See also:

enigma (Thesaurus)

Dictionary

e•nig•ma

Related Content