labyrinth
/ˈlæb.ə.ɹɪnθ/
labyrinth noun: a complicated irregular network of passages or paths, especially underground or covered, in which it is difficult to find one's way.
Noun
labyrinth (plural labyrinths)
- A complicated irregular network of passages or paths, especially underground or covered, in which it is difficult to find one's way.
- Mrs. Churchill liked the interminable labyrinths of the Cyrus and the Cassandra, because she had liked them in the days of her girlhood. Youth identifies itself with the romance; it is the heroic knight, or the lovely lady, of which it reads; it lives amid those fine creations; its sweetest hours...1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 264–265
- Synonyms:
- maze
- A maze formed by paths separated by high hedges.
- A structure similar to a maze, but containing only one path with no branches, as distinguished from a maze which contains multiple branching paths
- Anything complicated and confusing in structure, arrangement, or character.
- Recent investigations into alleged wrongdoings at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reveal an apparent labyrinth of deceit, competitiveness, and a sluggish approach to fighting AIDS/ARC.1986 February 15, Elizabeth Pincus, “The CDC: When Politics & Egos Hamper Saving Lives”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 39, page 1
- Whitney is absorbed especially by Dublin's unglamorous interstitial zones: the new housing estates and labyrinths of roads, watercourses and railways where the city peters into its commuter belt.2014 August 23, Neil Hegarty, “Hidden City: Adventures and Explorations in Dublin by Karl Whitney, review: 'a necessary corrective' [print version: Re-Joycing in Dublin, p. R25]”, in The Daily...
- A complex structure in the inner ear which contains the organs of hearing and balance, consisting of bony cavities (the bony labyrinth) filled with fluid and lined with sensitive membranes (the membranous labyrinth).
- An accessory respiratory organ of certain fish.
- Any of various satyrine butterflies of the genus Neope.
Verb
labyrinth (third-person singular simple present labyrinths, present participle labyrinthing, simple past and past participle labyrinthed)
- To enclose in a labyrinth, or as though in a labyrinth.
- To arrange in the form of a labyrinth.
- It is said to have been labyrinthed by secret exits and cunning contrivances to facilitate the escape of fugitives from the law.1898, Missionary Review of the World - Volume 21, page 178
- By labyrinthing, close axial running clearances can be increased without reducing efficiency.1963, Water & Sewage Works - Volume 110, page 43
- To twist and wind, following a labyrinthine path.
- We labyrinthed through it, meeting scores of panty-clad and moccasined Indians and barefoot women and girls toiling marketward under atrocious burdens; for the day was Sunday.1917, Harry Alverson Franck, Vagabonding Down the Andes, page 313
- Hands clasped together, Linda and Ron walked through the huge doorway leading to the hall that would labyrinth it's^([sic]) way to the parking lot.2000, James Cook, Counter-Clockwise, page 90
- To become lost and confused, as if in a labyrinth.
- They arrive at their different destinations long before day, and make their attack about day-break, and seldom fail to kill or make prisoners of the whole family, as the people know nothing of the matter until they are thus labyrinthed.1886, Pliny A. Durant, History of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, page 52
- He favored, he said, "a kind of half-sleep where I labyrinthed myself."1951, New Mexico Quarterly - Volumes 21-22
labyrinth meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bengali
labyrinth in Hindi
- maze
- भूलभुलैया bhūlbhulaiyā
- anything complicated or confusing
- भूलभुलैया bhūlbhulaiyā, उलझन uljhan
labyrinth in Tamil
- சிக்கல்வழி, சிக்குப்புழை, உட்செவிக் குழல், உட்காதுக் குழாய், வளை, கோடரம்
labyrinth in Urdu
- maze
- بھُول بھُلیاں bhūl bhuliyān
labyrinth in Bengali
- maze
- গোলকধাঁধা gōlkodhãdha
More languagesFewer languages
- labyrinth in Malayalam
- ദുർഘടമാർഗ്ഗം, കുഴഞ്ഞ അവസ്ഥ
- labyrinth in Kannada
- ಸಿಕ್ಕುದಾರಿ, ತೊಡಕಿನ ದಾರಿ, ತೊಡಕು, ಗೊಂದಲ
- labyrinth in Gujarati
- ભુલભુલામણી
- labyrinth in Assamese
- জেং zeṅ
- labyrinth in Tagalog
- labirint
- labyrinth in Arabic
- مَتَاهَة matāha
- labyrinth in Malay
- labirin, pagar sesat
- labyrinth in Indonesian
- labirin
- labyrinth in Persian
- هِزارتو hezârtu, هِزارخَم hezârxam, لابیرِنت lâbirent
- labyrinth in Thai
- วงกต wong-gòt
- labyrinth in Vietnamese
- mê cung, mê hồn trận
- labyrinth in Myanmar
- ဝင်္ကပါ wangka.pa
- Dhivehi
- މޭޒެވެ mēzeve
Examples of labyrinth in a sentence
- Churchill liked the interminable labyrinths of the Cyrus and the Cassandra, because she had liked them in the days of her girlhood.1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages...
- In the ports the transmission path is often labyrinthed through shielding but the peculiar requirement of straight beams has been considered.1998, Peter E. Stott, Giuseppe Gorini, Paolo Prandoni, Diagnostics for Experimental Thermonuclear Fusion Reactors:
- The element illustrated has been 'labyrinthed' to improve its performance.2011, Peter Capper, James Garland, Mercury Cadmium Telluride: Growth, Properties and Applications:
- I'm far from home, labyrinthing through unfamiliar alleys, before I find the right house.2017, Mahvesh Murad, Jared Shurin, Neil Gaiman, The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories:
Synonyms of labyrinth
Forms of labyrinth
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | labyrinths |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | labyrinths |
| present participle | labyrinthing |
| past participle | labyrinthed |
| past | labyrinthed |
Origin of labyrinth
From Middle English laberynt, laberynthe, from Latin labyrinthus, from Ancient Greek λᾰβύρῐνθος (lăbúrĭnthos, “a maze”).
Words formed from labyrinth
Phrases with labyrinth
Questions about labyrinth
- What does labyrinth mean?
- Labyrinth means a complicated irregular network of passages or paths, especially underground or covered, in which it is difficult to find one's way.
- What is labyrinth in Hindi?
- Labyrinth in Hindi is भूलभुलैया (bhūlbhulaiyā), उलझन (uljhan). See Labyrinth meaning in Hindi.
- How do you use labyrinth in a sentence?
- Churchill liked the interminable labyrinths of the Cyrus and the Cassandra, because she had liked them in the days of her girlhood.
- What part of speech is labyrinth?
- Labyrinth can be a noun or a verb.
- How do you pronounce labyrinth?
- Labyrinth is pronounced /ˈlæb.ə.ɹɪnθ/.
- What is the plural of labyrinth?
- The plural of labyrinth is labyrinths.
Words near labyrinth in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: labyrinth (page history and authors); labyrinth (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors); labyrinth (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); labyrinth (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors); labyrinth (Gujarati, IndicTrans2 machine translation) (model and license); জেং (Assamese) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-labyrinth.ogg.
Cite this entry: “labyrinth.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/labyrinth. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.