labyrinth

American  

[lab-uh-rinth] / ˈlæb ə rɪnθ /

noun

1. an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit.

   Synonyms:

   web, network, maze

2. a maze of paths bordered by high hedges, as in a park or garden, for the amusement of those who search for a way out.

3. a complicated or tortuous arrangement, as of streets or buildings.

   Synonyms:

   knot, tangle, snarl, jungle, maze, warren

4. any confusingly intricate state of things or events; a bewildering complex.

   His papers were lost in an hellish bureaucratic labyrinth.

   After the death of her daughter, she wandered in a labyrinth of sorrow for what seemed like a decade.

   Synonyms:

   morass, forest, jungle, wilderness

5. Classical Mythology. Labyrinth. a vast maze built in Crete by Daedalus, at the command of King Minos, to house the Minotaur.

6. Anatomy.

   1. the internal ear, consisting of a bony portion bony labyrinth and a membranous portion membranous labyrinth.

   2. the aggregate of air chambers in the ethmoid bone, between the eye and the upper part of the nose.

7. a mazelike pattern inlaid in the pavement of a church.

8. Also called acoustic labyrinth;.  Also called acoustical labyrinth.  Audio. a loudspeaker enclosure with air chambers at the rear for absorbing sound waves radiating in one direction so as to prevent their interference with waves radiated in another direction.

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Labyrinth ¹ British  

/ ˈlæbərɪnθ /

noun

1. Greek myth a huge maze constructed for King Minos in Crete by Daedalus to contain the Minotaur

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labyrinth ² British  

/ ˈlæbərɪnθ /

noun

1. a mazelike network of tunnels, chambers, or paths, either natural or man-made Compare maze

2. any complex or confusing system of streets, passages, etc

3. a complex or intricate situation

4. 1. any system of interconnecting cavities, esp those comprising the internal ear

   2. another name for internal ear

5. electronics an enclosure behind a high-performance loudspeaker, consisting of a series of air chambers designed to absorb unwanted sound waves

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labyrinth Scientific  

/ lăb′ə-rĭnth′ /

1. The system of interconnecting canals and spaces that make up the inner ear of many vertebrates. The labyrinth has both a bony component, made up of the cochlea, the semicircular canals, and the vestibule, and a membranous one.

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Labyrinth Cultural  

1. In classical mythology, a vast maze on the island of Crete. The great inventor Daedalus designed it, and the king of Crete kept the Minotaur in it. Very few people ever escaped from the Labyrinth. One was Theseus, the killer of the Minotaur.

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Discover More

A labyrinth can be literally a maze or figuratively any highly intricate construction or problem.

Etymology

Origin of labyrinth

First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin labyrinthus, from Greek labýrinthos; replacing earlier laborynt, from Medieval Latin laborintus, Latin, as above

Example Sentences

It was, Mr. Corera writes, a “dead-end job,” but it offered access to documents that revealed the organization’s dark secrets, such as its labyrinth of informers.

From The Wall Street Journal

Two cases at the Supreme Court this week are examples of how procedures and precedents can trap citizens inside a legal labyrinth.

From The Wall Street Journal

“That song is about somebody’s inner child being in the middle of a labyrinth, and you’re trying to find them so you can convince them that you’re in love,” Jesso tells me.

From Los Angeles Times

Theseus found his way out of the labyrinth by trailing a thread behind him; to Penelope this seemed a waste of good embroidery floss.

From Literature

Choosing a health plan was one decision, not the first step into a spreadsheet labyrinth.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• tangle