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labyrinth definition

laby·rinth (labə 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 © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
labyrinth Synonyms

labyrinth

n.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

labyrinth Usage Examples

Adjective modifier

  • endless: There are far too many good first person shooters around for me to justify wading through endless labyrinths.

Noun used with modifier

  • turf: British turf labyrinths A update on the eight surviving ancient turf ' mazes ' by Marilyn Clark.

Adjective modifier

  • Cretan: The older is the Cretan labyrinth, whose classical form has seven circuits.

Modifies a noun

  • seal: The obvious disadvantage of the labyrinth seal is that there is an engineered gap.
labyrinth usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

labyrinth quotes

Oh these deceits are strong almost as life. Last night I dreamt I was in the labyrinth, And woke far on. I did not know the place.

-Muir, Edwin

   Le lecteur, lui non plus, ne voit pas les choses du dehors. Il est dans le labyrinthe aussi. The reader [as well as the main character] does not view the work from outside. He too is in the labyrinth.

-Robbe-Grillet, Alain

Wir tappen im Labyrinth unsers Lebenswandels und im Dunkel unserer Forschungen umher: helleAugenblicke erleuchten dabei wie Blitze unsernWeg. We grope about in the labyrinth of our life and in the obscurity of our investigations; bright moments illuminate our path like flashes of lightning.

-Schopenhauer, Arthur

labyrinth quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"labyrinth." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/labyrinth>

APA Style

labyrinth. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/labyrinth

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