(n.) A dark, obscure, or inexplicable saying; a riddle; a statement, the hidden meaning of which is to be discovered or guessed.
(n.) An action, mode of action, or thing, which cannot be satisfactorily explained; a puzzle; as, his conduct is an enigma.
Example Sentences:
(1) The nature of the putative autoantigen in Graves' ophthalmopathy (Go) remains an enigma but the sequence similarity between thyroglobulin (Tg) and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) provides a rationale for epitopes which are common to the thyroid gland and the eye orbit.
(2) The role of growth hormone (GH) and the related placental lactogens in implantation and subsequent embryonic and fetal development is an enigma.
(3) The exact association between psoriasis and arthritis remains an enigma.
(4) And then there is the great enigma of that involuntary separation inflicted by the death of those without whom we would never have wanted to live.
(5) An apparent enigma during platelet aggregation is that increased glycogenolysis occurs despite a fall in cyclic AMP levels; Activation by a classical cascade is therefore unlikely, and an alternative stimulus for phosphorylase a formation was sought.
(6) This triad is currently an enigma in the field of internal medicine.
(7) Rectal carcinoma remains an enigma to surgical and medical oncologists.
(8) Most of the known central actions of angiotensin II, for example the regulation of blood pressure and of electrolyte and water balance, seem to be mediated by the AT1 receptor, while the role of the AT2 receptor is still an enigma.
(9) What they say "You are an enigma wrapped in a riddle nestled in a sesame seed bun of mystery" – Stephen Colbert
(10) We believe that the "missing pathway" for factor XI activation remains an enigma that warrants further investigation.
(11) He, of course, disclaimed his commitment, telling an American admirer that he was "a person who prefers life to art, and who knows it is a far finer thing to be in love…" The record of his creativity suggests the opposite, only adding to the aura of enigma that still surrounds him.
(12) Against this background the present study was performed, and it has been shown that the resolution to the enigma is that there are two different populations of bipolar cells in the rat visual cortex.
(13) The biologic background to the clinical behavior of these metastasizing tumors remains an enigma.
(14) The author argues that the similarity of the Bushman trance state, kia and that of drug-induced altered states of consciousness has been paid too little attention in the research, and that an enigma currently exists with regard to the degree to which plant drugs may have influenced the !Kung trance phenomenon and healing beliefs.
(15) In many ways the problem of diaphragmatic hernia is as much of an enigma to today's physician-scientist as it was to Bochdalek in the nineteenth century.
(16) The treatment of keloids continues to be an enigma to the surgeon and the patient as well.
(17) And we need to declare war on them.” The rhetoric injected renewed urgency into the effort to unlock the enigma of a couple who had lived quietly and privately with their six-month-old daughter.
(18) Facial palsy is a distressing nonfatal disorder that creates an emotional crisis for the patient and often a therapeutic enigma for the physician.
(19) The function of the third one called the tissue type is still an enigma.
(20) A variety of pharmacologic manipulations were employed to help solve this enigma.
Stigma
Definition:
(v. t.) A mark made with a burning iron; a brand.
(v. t.) Any mark of infamy or disgrace; sign of moral blemish; stain or reproach caused by dishonorable conduct; reproachful characterization.
(v. t.) That part of a pistil which has no epidermis, and is fitted to receive the pollen. It is usually the terminal portion, and is commonly somewhat glutinous or viscid. See Illust. of Stamen and of Flower.
(v. t.) A small spot, mark, scar, or a minute hole; -- applied especially to a spot on the outer surface of a Graafian follicle, and to spots of intercellular substance in scaly epithelium, or to minute holes in such spots.
(v. t.) A red speck upon the skin, produced either by the extravasation of blood, as in the bloody sweat characteristic of certain varieties of religious ecstasy, or by capillary congestion, as in the case of drunkards.
(v. t.) One of the external openings of the tracheae of insects, myriapods, and other arthropods; a spiracle.
(v. t.) One of the apertures of the pulmonary sacs of arachnids. See Illust. of Scorpion.
(v. t.) One of the apertures of the gill of an ascidian, and of Amphioxus.
(v. t.) A point so connected by any law whatever with another point, called an index, that as the index moves in any manner in a plane the first point or stigma moves in a determinate way in the same plane.
(v. t.) Marks believed to have been supernaturally impressed upon the bodies of certain persons in imitation of the wounds on the crucified body of Christ. See def. 5, above.
Example Sentences:
(1) Health information dissemination is severely complicated by the widespread stigma associated with digestive topics, manifested in the American public's general discomfort in communicating with others about digestive health.
(2) It is likely that many of the girls end up working in brothels, but due to the stigma of being a sex worker they will usually report they were forced into marriage.
(3) To feel like a useful human being without any stigma attached, without undue fears and pressures but with a sense of being needed and wanted, that is what life is all about.
(4) Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have enlisted a rapper, a Royal Marine and a Labour spin doctor to try to push stigma about discussing mental health beyond what they believe is a “tipping point” and into public acceptability.
(5) This stigma remains to the present and was observed to exist even among service providers: Low knowledge levels of patients on the causes of the disease on the one hand, and service providers on the cure, particularly on the use of Multiple Drug Therapy.
(6) The failure of this effort, along with the stigma against psychiatry has led to poor treatment of disturbed patients by primary care physicians.
(7) The stigma of having no brothers or sisters meant that any acting up was immediately dismissed with a caustic, “Well, he is an only child.” The subtext was that my parents had doted on me excessively, inflating my sense of importance.
(8) Patients react to the physical realities of the disease while experiencing the stigma and fear which society imposes on AIDS.
(9) She also warned over increasing stigma being shown toward Gypsies, Travellers and Roma struggling to find accommodation.
(10) Commonly there is a desire by girl learners to continue their education , especially their formal education, despite their pregnancy even when the barriers to returning to school imposed by their families or schools and social stigmas may not easily permit it.
(11) This article focuses on the management of stigma by methadone maintenance patients.
(12) The patients may find that a psychiatric diagnostic label is a stigma and has bad consequences.
(13) You take one aspect of someone or some group's behaviour and jump to far-reaching conclusions as to their mental state and inflict an unwarranted stigma upon them.
(14) Factor analysis yielded four indices: a) impact of disease (e.g., being a burden, loss of energy, loss of bowel control); b) sexual intimacy; c) complications of disease (e.g., developing cancer, having surgery, dying early); and d) body stigma (e.g., feeling dirty or smelly).
(15) The UCI should also pay more attention to medical issues in cycling and when Therapeutic Use Exemptions should be granted Words of warning Sanctioned riders should be used ‘as an educational tool’ to inform their peers about the dangers of doping through interviews, appearances, lectures and recorded messages pointing out the impact of doping on their lives, ‘the social stigma, financial impact, health effects and self-esteem issues’ Voice of the union The UCI should ‘facilitate the creation of a strong riders’ union … to give riders a collective voice particularly on issues of ownership, revenue sharing, the racing calendar and anti-doping.
(16) In essence, criminalisation leads to stigma, and stigma leads to harassment."
(17) The sequence is reported of a cDNA molecule homologous to an mRNA from stigma tissue of Brassica oleracea plants homozygous for the S5 self-incompatibility allele.
(18) It was really only when William Styron published Darkness Visible in 1990 that depression entered mainstream social discourse and began to lose its stigma (even growing into a badge of honour for a while).
(19) As part of UNAids’ Protect the Goal campaign to raise awareness of HIV and Aids during the World Cup in Rio, we explored whether tweets could be used to measure HIV-related stigma.
(20) Encopresis afflicts one in 100 children causing considerable stigma and parental concern.