Riddle Definition

rĭdl
riddled, riddles, riddling
verb
riddled, riddles, riddling
To solve or explain.
American Heritage
To solve or explain (a riddle)
Webster's New World
To make many holes in; puncture throughout.
A body riddled with bullets.
Webster's New World
To spread throughout.
American Heritage
To propound riddles; speak enigmatically.
Webster's New World
noun
riddles
A problem or puzzle in the form of a question, statement, etc. so formulated that some ingenuity is required to solve or answer it.
Webster's New World
A coarse sieve for grading gravel, separating chaff from grain, etc.
Webster's New World
Any puzzling, perplexing, or apparently inexplicable person or thing, as a difficult problem or enigmatic saying; enigma.
Webster's New World

A board with a row of pins, set zigzag, between which wire is drawn to straighten it.

Wiktionary
Antonyms:
pronoun
Wiktionary

A city in Oregon.

Wiktionary

Other Word Forms of Riddle

Noun

Singular:
riddle
Plural:
riddles

Origin of Riddle

  • From Middle English riddil, ridelle (“sieve") from Old English hriddel (“sieve"), alteration of earlier hridder, hrÄ«der from Proto-Germanic *hridÄ… (“sieve"), from Proto-Germanic *hrid- (“to shake"), from Proto-Indo-European *krey-. Akin to German Reiter (“sieve"), Old Norse hreinn (“pure, clean"), Old High German hreini (“pure, clean"), Gothic 𐌷𐍂𐌰𐌹𐌽𐍃 (hrains, “clean, pure"). More at rinse.

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English redel, redels, from Old English rÇ£dels, rÇ£delse (“counsel", "opinion", "imagination", "riddle"), from Proto-Germanic *rÄ“dislijÄ… (“counsel, conjecture"). Akin to Old Saxon rādisli (Dutch raadsel), Old High German rādisle (German Rätsel (“riddle")), Old English rÇ£dan (“to read, advise, interpret").

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English ridelen to sift from riddil sieve from Old English hriddel krei- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Middle English redels from Old English rǣdels ar- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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