The Only Use of
enigma
in
The Scarlet Letter
- Pearl's inevitable tendency to hover about the enigma of the scarlet letter seemed an innate quality of her being.†
p. 167.0
Definitions:
-
(1)
(enigma) something mysterious that seems unexplainable
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
The word may also be seen in the proper noun, Enigma Machine. It refers to an encryption device used by Nazi Germany during the second world war. Britain eventually learned to unencrypt messages sent with the machine, but kept that ability a secret.