mysterium

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin mystērium. Doublet of mystery.

Pronunciation

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

Noun

mysterium (plural mysteria)

1. (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.

2. (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

Etymology

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μῠστήρῐον (mustḗrion).

Noun

mystērium n (genitive mystēriī or mystērī); second declension

1. mystery (secret rite or worship)
2. 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

Second-declension noun (neuter).

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

Related terms

• mysterius

Descendants

• 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

• “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

Etymology

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

Noun

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

1. a mystery

References

• “mysterium” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

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

Noun

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

1. mystery (something unexplainable)

   Korleis steinen hamna her er eit mysterium.

   How the rock got here is a mystery.

References

• “mysterium” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Swedish

Etymology

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

Noun

mysterium n

1. a mystery

Declension

Synonyms

• mystär

Related terms

References

• mysterium in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• mysterium in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• mysterium in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)