What is the Latin word for riddle?

The usual Latin words for “riddle” are aenigma, grīphus, ambāgēs; also crībrum, explicō, prōpōnō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“riddle” in Latin

aenigmaa riddle, enigma; an allegory; a mystery grīphusan intricate ambāgēsan indirect, roundabout path; a wandering to and fro, twists and turns; circumlocution, ambiguity, evasion, digression, crībrumsieve, riddle, winnow explicōto unfold, unfurl, uncoil, loosen, undo; to spread out, stretch out, extend, display, deploy; to disentangle, solve, set prōpōnōto set forth, to put forth, to lay out; to expose to view, display; to make known interpretorto explain, expound; to interpret, translate; to understand, conclude crībrōto sift or sieve

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

riddle s.

A puzzling question, enigma, aenigma, -atis (Cic.): griphus (an artificial and puzzling combination of words, used by the Greeks at their entertainments; the word is employed with reference to Greeks, Gell., 1, 2, 4; Apul., Flor.): ambages (a dark and obscure expression; e.g., Liv., 1, 24). To propose a riddle, *aliquem aenigma solvere jubere; *aenigma alicui interpretandum, explicandum, proponere. To solve a riddle, aenigma solvere (Ruhnken), interpretari, explicare: griphum dissolvere: not to understand a riddle, aenigma non intelligere.

Figuratively, Riddles, verba caecis latebris obscura (Ov., Met., 1, 388); sermones perplexi (Liv., 40, 5). It is all a riddle to me, hoc vero obscurum mihi est; hoc mihi non liquet; hoc non intelligo: it is a complete riddle, hoc nemo conjectura assequi potest; hoc nemini liquet. To speak in riddles, aenigmata loqui (Plin., Ep., 7, 12).

A coarse sieve, cribrum (carbonarium).

riddle v.

To sift, cribrare: cribro subcernere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for riddle?: The usual Latin words for “riddle” are aenigma, grīphus, ambāgēs; also crībrum, explicō, prōpōnō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.