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"mystery" in seven languages

Meaningmystery

Spanish

misterio

/misˈteɾjo/

masc.learned

French

mystère

/mistɛʁ/

masc.learned

Italian

mistero

/misˈtɛro/

masc.learned

Portuguese

mistério

/misˈtɛɾiu/

masc.learned

Romanian

mister

/misˈter/

neut.learned

Catalan

misteri

/misˈtɛɾi/

masc.learned

English

mystery

/ˈmɪstəɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin MYSTĒRIUM

English → ItalianmysterymisteroCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MYSTĒRIUM‘secret rite (from Greek mystḗrion)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

A Greek word for a secret religious rite, passed on through Church Latin. Only French keeps the Greek y in the spelling; Spanish and Italian write a plain i.

English relatives: mystic, mystical, mystify

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In a sentence

  • esSu muerte sigue siendo un misterio.
  • frSa mort reste un mystère.
  • itLa sua morte è ancora un mistero.
  • ptA morte dele continua sendo um mistério.
  • roMoartea lui rămâne un mister.
  • caLa seva mort encara és un misteri.
  • enHis death is still a mystery.

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