mysterium

English edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mystērium. Doublet of mystery.

Pronunciation edit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /mɪˈstɪəɹɪəm/
(General American) IPA^(key): /mɪˈstɪɹiəm/
Hyphenation: mys‧te‧ri‧um

Noun edit

mysterium (plural mysteria)

(chemistry, alchemy, now historical) Any of various unknown elements thought to make up existing forms of matter, or a substance seen as an elemental or pure form of something else.
- 2006, Philip Ball, The Devil's Doctor, Arrow, published 2007, page 263:
  There are many such mysteria: milk is a mysterium of cheese and butter, and cheese in turn a mysterium of maggots, which were thought to form spontaneously in rotting food.
(astronomy, now historical) The hypothetical source of a galactic radio emission at 1665 megahertz (later identified as due to hydroxyl radicals in interstellar space).

Latin edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μῠστήρῐον (mustḗrion).

Noun edit

mystērium n (genitive mystēriī or mystērī); second declension

mystery (secret rite or worship)
secret
- 6th century, Venantius Fortunatus, Vexilla regis, first stanza:
  Vexilla regis prodeunt
  Fulget crucis mysterium
  Quo carne carnis conditor,
  Suspensus est patibulo.
  The Banners of the King issue forth,
  the mystery of the Cross does gleam,
  where the Creator of flesh, in the flesh,
  from the cross-bar is hung.

Declension edit

Second-declension noun (neuter).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	mystērium	mystēria
Genitive	mystēriī mystērī¹	mystēriōrum
Dative	mystēriō	mystēriīs
Accusative	mystērium	mystēria
Ablative	mystēriō	mystēriīs
Vocative	mystērium	mystēria

¹Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Related terms edit

mysterius

Descendants edit

Old French: mistere, mystere
- → Middle English: mysterie, mysterye, mistery, misterie, mystery
  - English: mystery
  - Scots: meestery
- Middle French: mystere
  - French: mystère
→ Finnish: mysteeri, mysteerio
→ Spanish: misterio

References edit

“mysterium”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
“mysterium”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
mysterium in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Norwegian Bokmål edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mystērium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion).

Noun edit

mysterium n (definite singular mysteriet, indefinite plural mysterier, definite plural mysteria or mysteriene)

a mystery

References edit

“mysterium” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mystērium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion).

Noun edit

mysterium n (definite singular mysteriet, indefinite plural mysterium, definite plural mysteria)

mystery (something unexplainable)
Korleis steinen hamna her er eit mysterium.
How the rock got here is a mystery.

References edit

“mysterium” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Latin mystērium, from Ancient Greek μυστήριον (mustḗrion). Cognate with English mystery and German Mysterium.

Noun edit

mysterium n

a mystery

Declension edit

Declension of mysterium
	Singular		Plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Nominative	mysterium	mysteriet	mysterier	mysterierna
Genitive	mysteriums	mysteriets	mysteriers	mysteriernas

Synonyms edit

mystär