Where does “enigma” come from?
enigma (Basque) comes from Spanish enigma, from Latin ænigma, from Ancient Greek αἴνιγμα, from Ancient Greek -μᾰ, from Proto-Indo-European -mn̥ — Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs.
enigma (Basque): enigma
Ancestry of “enigma”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | enigma | enigma, conundrum; riddle, conundrum |
| 2 | Latin | ænigma | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | αἴνιγμα | riddle; taunt; An obscure method of communication |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | -μᾰ | "suffix forming a noun denoting the result of an... |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -mn̥ | Creates action nouns or result nouns from verbs |