Definitions and research Etymology. The modern English word riddle shares its origin with the word read both stemming from the Common Germanic verb rēdaną which meant to interpret guessFrom this verb came the West Germanic noun rādislī literally meaning thing to be guessed thing to be interpretedFrom this comes Dutch raadsel German Rätsel and Old. Pin By Knowledge On Riddles Brain Teasers Riddles Brain Teasers Riddle Puzzles