aenigma

aenigmă, ătis, n., = ainigma (dat. and abl. plur. aenigmatis, Charis. p. 38 P.), that which is enigmatical or dark in a figurative representation, an allegory; accto Quintilian's expl.:

allegoria, quae est obscurior,

Inst. 8, 6, 52; Cic. de Or. 3, 42.—

II.

Of other things.

A.

That which is dark, obscure, or inexplicable; a riddle, enigma, obscurity:

regina Saba venit temptare eum in aenigmatibus,

Vulg. 3 Reg. 10, 1:

obscuritates et aenigmata somniorum,

Cic. Div. 2, 64;

aenigma numero Platonis obscurius,

id. Att. 7, 13:

legum,

Juv. 8, 50:

palam et non per aenigmata Dominum videt,

Vulg. Num. 12, 8; 1 Cor. 13, 12.—

B.

A mystery; a mystical tenet or dogma in religion, Arn 3, p. 109.