nodus

American  

[noh-duhs] / ˈnoʊ dəs /

noun

plural

nodi

1. a difficult or intricate point, situation, plot, etc.

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nodus British  

/ ˈnəʊdəs /

noun

1. a problematic idea, situation, etc

2. another word for node

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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

Possibly enough there may be no call for any such exceptional solution; for, after all, there may be nothing to solve—no dignus vindice nodus.

From Autobiographical Sketches by De Quincey, Thomas

With Ormsby at the nodus of his point of view, David Kent made no secret of his open rivalry of the millionaire, declaring his intention boldly and taking no shame therefor.

From The Grafters by Lynde, Francis

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

But to the Castilian historian the occasion might seem worthy of a miracle,—dignus vindice nodus.

From History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, Vols. 1 and 2 by Prescott, William Hickling

Post-nodal cross-veins: in Odonata, the transverse veins between costa and radius 1, and radius 1 and media 1, from nodus to stigma, separating the post-nodal cells or spaces: = post-cubital cross-veins.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.