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labyrinth definition

laby·rinth (lab′ə rint̸h′)

noun

  1. a structure containing an intricate network of winding passages hard to follow without losing one's way; maze
  2. a complicated, perplexing arrangement, course of affairs, etc.
  3. Anat. the inner ear
  4. Gr. Myth. the labyrinthine structure built by Daedalus for King Minos of Crete, to house the Minotaur

Etymology: ME laborintus (altered by folk etym. by assoc. with L labor, labor + intus, into) < L labyrinthus < Gr labyrinthos, of pre-Hellenic orig.

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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