membranous labyrinth

noun

See under labyrinth(def 6a).

Origin of membranous labyrinth

First recorded in 1865–70

labyrinth

[lab-uh-rinth]

noun

an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit.
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.
a complicated or tortuous arrangement, as of streets or buildings.
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.
(initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. a vast maze built in Crete by Daedalus, at the command of King Minos, to house the Minotaur.
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.
a mazelike pattern inlaid in the pavement of a church.
Also called acoustic labyrinth, 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.

Origin of labyrinth

1540–50; < Latin labyrinthus < Greek labýrinthos; replacing earlier laborynt < Medieval Latin laborintus, Latin, as above

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

British Dictionary definitions for membranous labyrinth

Labyrinth

noun

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

labyrinth

noun

a mazelike network of tunnels, chambers, or paths, either natural or man-madeCompare maze (def. 1)
any complex or confusing system of streets, passages, etc
a complex or intricate situation
1. any system of interconnecting cavities, esp those comprising the internal ear
2. another name for internal ear
electronics an enclosure behind a high-performance loudspeaker, consisting of a series of air chambers designed to absorb unwanted sound waves

Word Origin for labyrinth

C16: via Latin from Greek laburinthos, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for membranous labyrinth

labyrinth

c.1400, laberynthe (late 14c. in Latinate form laborintus) "labyrinth, maze," figuratively "bewildering arguments," from Latin labyrinthus, from Greek labyrinthos "maze, large building with intricate passages," especially the structure built by Daedelus to hold the Minotaur near Knossos in Crete, from a pre-Greek language; perhaps related to Lydian labrys "double-edged axe," symbol of royal power, which fits with the theory that the labyrinth was originally the royal Minoan palace on Crete and meant "palace of the double-axe." Used in English for "maze" early 15c., and in figurative sense of "confusing state of affairs" (1540s).

membranous labyrinth in Medicine

labyrinth

(lăb′ə-rĭnth′)

A group of complex interconnecting anatomical cavities.
inner ear