Labyrinth

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Labyrinth \Lab"y*rinth\, n. [L. labyrinthus, Gr. laby`rinthos:
     cf. F. labyrinthe.]
     1. An edifice or place full of intricate passageways which
        render it difficult to find the way from the interior to
        the entrance; as, the Egyptian and Cretan labyrinths.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     Note: The Labyrinth of Classical Mythology was a vast maze
           constructed by Daedalus on the island of Crete, in
           order to confine the Minotaur; the task was done at the
           command of King Minos. One theory suggests that the
           myth had some basis in the structure of the palace of
           King Minos at Knossos, in Crete, it being a
           multistoried royal palace with labyrinthine passages
           between rooms.
           [PJC]
  
     2. Hence: Any intricate or involved inclosure; especially, an
        ornamental maze or inclosure in a park or garden, having
        high hedges separating confusingly convoluted passages.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. Any object or arrangement of an intricate or involved
        form, or having a very complicated nature.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The serpent . . . fast sleeping soon he found,
              In labyrinth of many a round self-rolled. --Milton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The labyrinth of the mind.            --Tennyson.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. An inextricable or bewildering difficulty.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I' the maze and winding labyrinths o' the world.
                                                    --Denham.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. (Anat.) The internal ear. See Note under {Ear}.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     6. (Metal.) A series of canals through which a stream of
        water is directed for suspending, carrying off, and
        depositing at different distances, the ground ore of a
        metal. --Ure.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     7. (Arch.) A pattern or design representing a maze, -- often
        inlaid in the tiled floor of a church, etc.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: Maze; confusion; intricacy; windings.
  
     Usage: {Labyrinth}, {Maze}. Labyrinth, originally; the name
            of an edifice or excavation, carries the idea of
            design, and construction in a permanent form, while
            maze is used of anything confused or confusing,
            whether fixed or shifting. Maze is less restricted in
            its figurative uses than labyrinth. We speak of the
            labyrinth of the ear, or of the mind, and of a
            labyrinth of difficulties; but of the mazes of the
            dance, the mazes of political intrigue, or of the mind
            being in a maze.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  labyrinth
       n 1: complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to
            get lost [syn: {maze}]
       2: a complex system of interconnecting cavities; concerned with
          hearing and equilibrium [syn: {inner ear}, {internal ear}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  24 Moby Thesaurus words for "labyrinth":
     Chinese puzzle, Gordian knot, Rube Goldberg contraption,
     can of worms, complex, jungle, knot, maze, meander, mesh, mess,
     morass, perplex, ravel, skein, snafu, snake pit, snarl, tangle,
     tangled skein, web, webwork, wheels within wheels, wilderness