riddle

riddle n

OE rædels, counsel, opinion, conjecture; see read, v.

1. Question; wondering; final words (of Philip van Artevelde in Sir Henry Taylor's play): “What have I done? Why such a death? Why thus?”
2. Mystery; unknown; hidden dimensions of spiritual reality; [fig.] afterlife; spirit world; life after death.
3. Enigma; paradox; conundrum; test of veracity; trial of faith; [word play] sieve; screen; mesh; filter; instrument for straining out impurities.
4. Verse; rhyming text that poses a question; type of poem in the genre of lyric poetry.
5. Puzzle; ambiguous statement; something to be solved by conjecture.

riddle n

OE hriddel < hrider, to shake.

1. Sieve; screen; mesh; filter; instrument for straining out impurities; [word play] enigma; paradox; conundrum.

riddle v

Late OE hriddel < hrider, to shake.

1. Perforate; pierce.