riddle
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[edit] English
[edit] Pronunciation
- Rhymes: -ɪdəl
[edit] Etymology 1
Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rǣdels, rǣdelse (“counsel", "opinion", "imagination", "riddle”), from Proto-Germanic *rēdislijan (“counsel, conjecture”). Akin to Old Saxon rādisli (Dutch raadsel), Old High German rādisle (German Rätsel "riddle"), Old English rǣdan "to read, advise, interpret"
[edit] Noun
riddle (plural riddles)
- A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature, such as "It's black, and white, and red all over. What is it?"
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[edit] Derived terms
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[edit] Etymology 2
From Middle English riddil, ridelle "sieve" from Old English hriddel "sieve", alteration of earlier hridder, hrīder from Proto-Germanic *hridan (“sieve”), from Proto-Germanic *hrid- (“to shake”), from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Akin to German Reiter "sieve", Old Norse hreinn "pure, clean", Old High German hreini "pure, clean", Gothic hrains "clean, pure". More at rinse
[edit] Noun
riddle (plural riddles)
- A sieve.
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[edit] Verb
riddle (third-person singular simple present riddles, present participle riddling, simple past and past participle riddled)
- to fill with holes
- The shots from his gun began to riddle the target.
- to fill or spread throughout; to pervade
- Your argument is riddled with errors.
- To speak ambiguously or enigmatically.
- to solve, answer, or explicate a riddle or question
- Riddle me this, meaning Answer the following question.
- to put something through a sieve
- You have to riddle the gravel before you lay it on the road.
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