Etymology dictionary. 2014.
Conundrum — Co*nun drum, n. [Origin unknown.] 1. A kind of riddle based upon some fanciful or fantastic resemblance between things quite unlike; a puzzling question, of which the answer is or involves a pun. [1913 Webster] Or pun ambiguous, or conundrum… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
conundrum — puzzle, riddle, enigma, problem, *mystery … New Dictionary of Synonyms
conundrum — is a 16c word of unknown origin, perhaps a facetious invention. It has a plural conundrums … Modern English usage
conundrum — [n] puzzle brain teaser, closed book*, enigma, mystery, mystification, poser*, problem, puzzlement, riddle, why*; concepts 532,666,690 … New thesaurus
conundrum — ► NOUN (pl. conundrums) 1) a confusing and difficult problem or question. 2) a riddle. ORIGIN originally in the sense «a crank or pedant»: of unknown origin … English terms dictionary
conundrum — [kə nun′drəm] n. [16th c. Oxford University L slang for pedant, whim, etc.; early sp. quonundrum] 1. a riddle whose answer contains a pun (Ex.: “What s the difference between a jeweler and a jailer?” “One sells watches and the other watches cells … English World dictionary
Conundrum — Contents 1 Literature 2 Other fields Conundrum may refer to: A riddle whose answer is or involves a pun or unexpected twist A logical postulation that evades resolution, an … Wikipedia
Conundrum — «Даллас» Conundrum … Википедия
conundrum — [16] Conundrum originally appeared in all manner of weird and wonderful guises – conimbrum, conuncrum, quonundrum, connunder, etc – before settling down to conundrum in the late 18th century. It bears all the marks of one of the rather heavy… … The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins
conundrum — [[t]kənʌ̱ndrəm[/t]] conundrums N COUNT A conundrum is a problem or puzzle which is difficult or impossible to solve. [FORMAL] ...this theological conundrum of the existence of evil and suffering in a world created by a good God … English dictionary
