nodus
Americannoun
noun
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a problematic idea, situation, etc
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another word for node
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of nodus
1350–1400; Middle English: knot in the flesh < Latin nōdus knot
Explanation
A nodus is a knotty problem or a difficult situation to resolve. The nodus of something is where different things or aspects intersect, making things complicated. In drama, the nodus is the point in a plot where the various threads of a story become entangled, leading up to the climax, after which the denouement, or "untying" of the entanglement, occurs. The famous Latin phrase dignus vindice nodus means "a knot worthy of a deliverer" — meaning a plot complication so difficult and complex that only a "god from the machine" (deus ex machina) could solve it. Historically, the word nodus has been used in fields including botany, medicine, and astronomy, to describe points where different things converge.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Southern Europe, the Chestnut is a staple article of food, The title "nut" signifies a hard round lump, from nodus, a knot.
From Herbal Simples Approved for Modern Uses of Cure by Fernie, William Thomas
We are always for implicating Heaven in our quarrels, and causing the gods to intervene whatever the nodus may be.
From The Virginians by Thackeray, William Makepeace
The entrance of Charmides into his house is the simple solution of this plot, of which the nodus is neither very difficult nor ingenious.
From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume I by Dunlop, John
The Logia hypothesis in fact carries us at once into the very nodus of Synoptic criticism, and, in the present state of the question, must be regarded as still some way from being established.
From The Gospels in the Second Century An Examination of the Critical Part of a Work Entitled 'Supernatural Religion' by Sanday, William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
