See conundrum in All languages combined, or Wiktionary
{
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"etymology_text": "A word of unknown origin with several variants, gaining popularity for its burlesque imitation of scholastic Latin, as hocus-pocus or panjandrum. If there is more to its origin than a nonce coinage, Anatoly Liberman suggests the best theory is that connecting it with the Conimbricenses, 16th c. scholastic commentaries on Aristotle by the Jesuits of Coimbra which indulge heavily in arguments relying on multiple significations of words.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "conundrums",
"tags": [
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]
},
{
"form": "conundra",
"tags": [
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]
}
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"2": "conundra"
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"expansion": "conundrum (plural conundrums or conundra)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
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"categories": [
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"parents": [
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"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "77 23",
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{
"_dis": "91 9",
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
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"name": "Terms with Armenian translations",
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
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"name": "Terms with Azerbaijani translations",
"parents": [],
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},
{
"_dis": "85 15",
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"name": "Terms with Bashkir translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "80 20",
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"name": "Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"parents": [],
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{
"_dis": "87 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Catalan translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "84 16",
"kind": "other",
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{
"_dis": "92 8",
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"name": "Terms with Danish translations",
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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"name": "Terms with Dutch translations",
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},
{
"_dis": "90 10",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Esperanto translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "87 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with French translations",
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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"name": "Terms with Galician translations",
"parents": [],
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Georgian translations",
"parents": [],
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with German translations",
"parents": [],
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{
"_dis": "83 17",
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"name": "Terms with Greek translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "84 16",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Hungarian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "91 9",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Italian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "86 14",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Macedonian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
},
{
"_dis": "81 19",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Middle English translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Norwegian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Polish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "87 13",
"kind": "other",
"name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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"name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "91 9",
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{
"_dis": "88 12",
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
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{
"_dis": "91 9",
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{
"_dis": "88 12",
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"name": "Terms with Swedish translations",
"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "85 15",
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"parents": [],
"source": "w+disamb"
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
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"name": "Terms with Turkish translations",
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{
"_dis": "86 14",
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"name": "Terms with Vietnamese translations",
"parents": [],
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],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 2, in Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:",
"text": "“Why should I understand that, or anything else?” asked the girl. “Don’t bother my head by asking conundrums, I beg of you. Just let me discover myself in my own way.”",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2018, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, page 255:",
"text": "Besides assisting in unravelling these two etymological conundrums, the present research also made an effort to approach a greater accuracy in presenting the original sources of borrowed words.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer."
],
"id": "en-conundrum-en-noun-hdmiy~wb",
"links": [
[
"question",
"question"
],
[
"riddle",
"riddle"
],
[
"play on words",
"play on words"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "brain-teaser"
},
{
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"word": "puzzle"
},
{
"word": "riddle"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "gluxkotruk",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "գլուխկոտրուկ"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "haneluk",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "հանելուկ"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "aṙeġcvac",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "առեղծված"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "az",
"lang": "Azerbaijani",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "başsındıran"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ba",
"lang": "Bashkir",
"roman": "başvatqıs",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "башватҡыс"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ba",
"lang": "Bashkir",
"roman": "yomaq",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "йомаҡ"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "gatanka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "гатанка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zagadka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "загадка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "endevinalla"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "hádanka"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "rébus"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlavolam"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "gåde"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "ordgåde"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "raadsel"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "hersenbreker"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "enigmo"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "arvoitus"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "kompakysymys"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "kompa"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "énigme"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "problème"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "casse-tête"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "adiviña"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "deviñanza"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Rätsel"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Scherzfrage"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "schwierige Frage"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Vexierfrage"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Rätselfrage"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kopfzerbrecher"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "aínigma",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "αίνιγμα"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "grífos",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "γρίφος"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "spazokefaliá",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"feminine"
],
"word": "σπαζοκεφαλιά"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "találós kérdés"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "rejtvény"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "rompicapo"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "indovinello"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "rebus"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "gátanka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "га́танка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "zágatka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "за́гатка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "enm",
"lang": "Middle English",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "probleme"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "gåte"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "zagadka"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "adivinha"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zagádka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "зага́дка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "golovolómka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "головоло́мка"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "zavrzlama"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nimma"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "nnivinagghia"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlavolam"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "hádanka"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "problém"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "adivinanza"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "acertijo"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "tl",
"lang": "Tagalog",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "paisip"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "bilmece"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "muamma"
},
{
"_dis1": "73 27",
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "nan đề"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [],
"examples": [
{
"text": "2004, Martha Stewart, statement read before being sentenced to five months in prison\nAnd while I am more concerned about the well-being of others than for myself, more hurt for them and for their losses than for my own, more worried for their futures than for the future of Martha Stewart the person, you are faced with a conundrum, a problem of monumental, to me, proportions."
},
{
"ref": "2011, Jemma Purdey, From Vienna to Yogyakarta:",
"text": "Herb was initially overcome by Jakarta ('The impressions of noise, chaos, tremendous crowdedness and I suppose whitelessness were perhaps the strongest, and I felt something of a stranger') and faced with the familiar conundrum ('again the sensation of the thousands of hungry people all around – happy looking often, pluckily cheerful but in fact hungry – is strange and upsetting'), but he quickly slipped into the volunteer lifestyle with relish, borrowing a bike from Soewarto, a friend from Kempen, and spending a lot of his time with volunteers, including Lance Castles and John Gare.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A difficult choice or decision that must be made."
],
"id": "en-conundrum-en-noun-8lahQhkP",
"links": [
[
"choice",
"choice"
],
[
"decision",
"decision"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"word": "dilemma"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "az",
"lang": "Azerbaijani",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "dilema",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "дилема"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hovedbrud"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "pulma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilemme"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "tavsaṭexi",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "თავსატეხი"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Dilemma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Qual der Wahl"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Entscheidungsfrage"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Zwickmühle"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "dílimma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "δίλημμα"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "nedoúmica",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "недоу́мица"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "diléma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "диле́ма"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dylemat"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "dilemă"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "dilémma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "диле́мма"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilimma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nimma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dubbiu"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "interrogante"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"_dis1": "24 76",
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilemma"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/kəˈnʌn.dɹəm/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-conundrum.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a0/En-us-conundrum.ogg/En-us-conundrum.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/En-us-conundrum.ogg"
},
{
"audio": "en-au-conundrum.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e8/En-au-conundrum.ogg/En-au-conundrum.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/En-au-conundrum.ogg"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Conimbricenses"
],
"word": "conundrum"
}
{
"categories": [
"English countable nouns",
"English entries with incorrect language header",
"English lemmas",
"English nouns",
"English nouns with irregular plurals",
"English pseudo-loans from Latin",
"English terms with unknown etymologies",
"Entries with translation boxes",
"Pages with 1 entry",
"Pages with entries",
"Terms with Armenian translations",
"Terms with Azerbaijani translations",
"Terms with Bashkir translations",
"Terms with Bulgarian translations",
"Terms with Catalan translations",
"Terms with Czech translations",
"Terms with Danish translations",
"Terms with Dutch translations",
"Terms with Esperanto translations",
"Terms with Finnish translations",
"Terms with French translations",
"Terms with Galician translations",
"Terms with Georgian translations",
"Terms with German translations",
"Terms with Greek translations",
"Terms with Hungarian translations",
"Terms with Italian translations",
"Terms with Macedonian translations",
"Terms with Middle English translations",
"Terms with Norwegian translations",
"Terms with Polish translations",
"Terms with Portuguese translations",
"Terms with Romanian translations",
"Terms with Russian translations",
"Terms with Serbo-Croatian translations",
"Terms with Sicilian translations",
"Terms with Slovak translations",
"Terms with Spanish translations",
"Terms with Swedish translations",
"Terms with Tagalog translations",
"Terms with Turkish translations",
"Terms with Vietnamese translations"
],
"etymology_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "en",
"nocap": "1"
},
"expansion": "unknown",
"name": "unk"
}
],
"etymology_text": "A word of unknown origin with several variants, gaining popularity for its burlesque imitation of scholastic Latin, as hocus-pocus or panjandrum. If there is more to its origin than a nonce coinage, Anatoly Liberman suggests the best theory is that connecting it with the Conimbricenses, 16th c. scholastic commentaries on Aristotle by the Jesuits of Coimbra which indulge heavily in arguments relying on multiple significations of words.",
"forms": [
{
"form": "conundrums",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
},
{
"form": "conundra",
"tags": [
"plural"
]
}
],
"head_templates": [
{
"args": {
"1": "s",
"2": "conundra"
},
"expansion": "conundrum (plural conundrums or conundra)",
"name": "en-noun"
}
],
"lang": "English",
"lang_code": "en",
"pos": "noun",
"senses": [
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"ref": "1815 December (indicated as 1816), [Jane Austen], chapter 2, in Emma: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [Charles Roworth and James Moyes] for John Murray, →OCLC:",
"text": "“Why should I understand that, or anything else?” asked the girl. “Don’t bother my head by asking conundrums, I beg of you. Just let me discover myself in my own way.”",
"type": "quote"
},
{
"ref": "2018, James Lambert, “Anglo-Indian slang in dictionaries on historical principles”, in World Englishes, volume 37, page 255:",
"text": "Besides assisting in unravelling these two etymological conundrums, the present research also made an effort to approach a greater accuracy in presenting the original sources of borrowed words.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A difficult question or riddle, especially one using a play on words in the answer."
],
"links": [
[
"question",
"question"
],
[
"riddle",
"riddle"
],
[
"play on words",
"play on words"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "brain-teaser"
},
{
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"word": "puzzle"
},
{
"word": "riddle"
}
]
},
{
"categories": [
"English terms with quotations"
],
"examples": [
{
"text": "2004, Martha Stewart, statement read before being sentenced to five months in prison\nAnd while I am more concerned about the well-being of others than for myself, more hurt for them and for their losses than for my own, more worried for their futures than for the future of Martha Stewart the person, you are faced with a conundrum, a problem of monumental, to me, proportions."
},
{
"ref": "2011, Jemma Purdey, From Vienna to Yogyakarta:",
"text": "Herb was initially overcome by Jakarta ('The impressions of noise, chaos, tremendous crowdedness and I suppose whitelessness were perhaps the strongest, and I felt something of a stranger') and faced with the familiar conundrum ('again the sensation of the thousands of hungry people all around – happy looking often, pluckily cheerful but in fact hungry – is strange and upsetting'), but he quickly slipped into the volunteer lifestyle with relish, borrowing a bike from Soewarto, a friend from Kempen, and spending a lot of his time with volunteers, including Lance Castles and John Gare.",
"type": "quote"
}
],
"glosses": [
"A difficult choice or decision that must be made."
],
"links": [
[
"choice",
"choice"
],
[
"decision",
"decision"
]
],
"synonyms": [
{
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"word": "dilemma"
}
]
}
],
"sounds": [
{
"ipa": "/kəˈnʌn.dɹəm/",
"tags": [
"Received-Pronunciation",
"US"
]
},
{
"audio": "en-us-conundrum.ogg",
"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/a/a0/En-us-conundrum.ogg/En-us-conundrum.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/En-us-conundrum.ogg"
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"mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e8/En-au-conundrum.ogg/En-au-conundrum.ogg.mp3",
"ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/En-au-conundrum.ogg"
}
],
"translations": [
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "gluxkotruk",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "գլուխկոտրուկ"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "haneluk",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "հանելուկ"
},
{
"code": "hy",
"lang": "Armenian",
"roman": "aṙeġcvac",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "առեղծված"
},
{
"code": "az",
"lang": "Azerbaijani",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "başsındıran"
},
{
"code": "ba",
"lang": "Bashkir",
"roman": "başvatqıs",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "башватҡыс"
},
{
"code": "ba",
"lang": "Bashkir",
"roman": "yomaq",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "йомаҡ"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "gatanka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "гатанка"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "zagadka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "загадка"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "endevinalla"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "hádanka"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "rébus"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlavolam"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "gåde"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"common-gender"
],
"word": "ordgåde"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "raadsel"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "hersenbreker"
},
{
"code": "eo",
"lang": "Esperanto",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "enigmo"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "arvoitus"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "kompakysymys"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "kompa"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "énigme"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "problème"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "casse-tête"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "adiviña"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "deviñanza"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Rätsel"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Scherzfrage"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "schwierige Frage"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Vexierfrage"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Rätselfrage"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "Kopfzerbrecher"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "aínigma",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "αίνιγμα"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "grífos",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "γρίφος"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "spazokefaliá",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"colloquial",
"feminine"
],
"word": "σπαζοκεφαλιά"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "találós kérdés"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "rejtvény"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "rompicapo"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "indovinello"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "rebus"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "gátanka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "га́танка"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "zágatka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "за́гатка"
},
{
"code": "enm",
"lang": "Middle English",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "probleme"
},
{
"code": "no",
"lang": "Norwegian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine",
"masculine"
],
"word": "gåte"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "zagadka"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "adivinha"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "zagádka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "зага́дка"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "golovolómka",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "головоло́мка"
},
{
"code": "sh",
"lang": "Serbo-Croatian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "zavrzlama"
},
{
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nimma"
},
{
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "nnivinagghia"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "hlavolam"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "hádanka"
},
{
"code": "sk",
"lang": "Slovak",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "problém"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "adivinanza"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "acertijo"
},
{
"code": "tl",
"lang": "Tagalog",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "paisip"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "bilmece"
},
{
"code": "tr",
"lang": "Turkish",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "muamma"
},
{
"code": "vi",
"lang": "Vietnamese",
"sense": "difficult question or riddle",
"word": "nan đề"
},
{
"code": "az",
"lang": "Azerbaijani",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"code": "bg",
"lang": "Bulgarian",
"roman": "dilema",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "дилема"
},
{
"code": "ca",
"lang": "Catalan",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"code": "cs",
"lang": "Czech",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"code": "da",
"lang": "Danish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "hovedbrud"
},
{
"code": "nl",
"lang": "Dutch",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"code": "fi",
"lang": "Finnish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "pulma"
},
{
"code": "fr",
"lang": "French",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilemme"
},
{
"code": "gl",
"lang": "Galician",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"code": "ka",
"lang": "Georgian",
"roman": "tavsaṭexi",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "თავსატეხი"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "Dilemma"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Qual der Wahl"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Entscheidungsfrage"
},
{
"code": "de",
"lang": "German",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "Zwickmühle"
},
{
"code": "el",
"lang": "Greek",
"roman": "dílimma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "δίλημμα"
},
{
"code": "hu",
"lang": "Hungarian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilemma"
},
{
"code": "it",
"lang": "Italian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "nedoúmica",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "недоу́мица"
},
{
"code": "mk",
"lang": "Macedonian",
"roman": "diléma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "диле́ма"
},
{
"code": "pl",
"lang": "Polish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dylemat"
},
{
"code": "pt",
"lang": "Portuguese",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"code": "ro",
"lang": "Romanian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "dilemă"
},
{
"code": "ru",
"lang": "Russian",
"roman": "dilémma",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"feminine"
],
"word": "диле́мма"
},
{
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilimma"
},
{
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "nimma"
},
{
"code": "scn",
"lang": "Sicilian",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dubbiu"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "interrogante"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "dilema"
},
{
"code": "es",
"lang": "Spanish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"masculine"
],
"word": "enigma"
},
{
"code": "sv",
"lang": "Swedish",
"sense": "difficult choice or decision",
"tags": [
"neuter"
],
"word": "dilemma"
}
],
"wikipedia": [
"Conimbricenses"
],
"word": "conundrum"
}
Download raw JSONL data for conundrum meaning in English (16.0kB)
This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-15 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (8a39820 and 4401a4c). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.
If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.