mysterium

See also: 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).

Danish

Alternative forms

• mysterie

Etymology

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

Noun

mysterium n (singular definite mysteriet, plural indefinite mysterier)

1. a mystery (something unexplainable)

   Synonym: gåde

2. (religion, historical) a mystery (secret rite or worship)
3. (theater) a medieval play (that reproduces biblical stories or saints' stories)

Declension

Declension of mysterium

gender	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	mysterium	mysteriet	mysterier	mysterierne
genitive	mysteriums	mysteriets	mysteriers	mysteriernes

Related terms

• mordmysterium
• mysteriereligion
• mysteriespil
• mysteriøs
• mysticisme
• mystificere
• mystificering
• mystifikation
• mystifistisk
• mystik
• mystiker
• mystisk

References

• “mysterium” in Den Danske Ordbog

Latin

Etymology

Etymology tree

Ancient Greek μῡ́ω (mū́ō)

Proto-Indo-European *-eti

Proto-Indo-European *-eyéti

Proto-Indo-European *-esyéti

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁ti

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₁yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-yeti

Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti

Ancient Greek -έω (-éō)

Ancient Greek μῠέω (mŭéō)

Proto-Indo-European *-tósder.

Ancient Greek -της (-tēs)

Ancient Greek μῠ́στης (mŭ́stēs)

Proto-Indo-European *-yósder.

Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)?

Ancient Greek -ῐον (-ĭon)

Ancient Greek μῠστήρῐον (mŭstḗrĭon)bor.

Latin mystērium

Borrowed from Ancient Greek μῠστήρῐον (mŭstḗrĭon).

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).

	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

• 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
• → German: Mysterium
• → 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, 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

Declension of mysterium

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mysterium	mysteriums
	definite	mysteriet	mysteriets
plural	indefinite	mysterier	mysteriers
	definite	mysterierna	mysteriernas

Synonyms

• mystär

Related terms

• mysteriedrama
• mysteriereligion
• mysteriespel
• mysteriös
• mysticism
• mystifiera
• mystifiering
• mystifik
• mystifikation
• mystik
• mystiker
• mystisk
• mystär
• profanmysterium
• skolmysterium
• tankemysterium

References

• “mysterium”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “mysterium”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “mysterium”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)