labyrinth
noun
Paul Blanshard
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Is there a difference between maze and labyrinth?
Is there a difference between the words maze and labyrinth? Not so much; both words are used in reference to confusing networks of passages or channels, or for a thing that is complicated or confusingly elaborate. However, in origin the two words are quite different. Maze is presumed to come from an unrecorded Old English word masian (“to confuse”), whereas labyrinth has a more classical pedigree.
Ancient Greek legends tell of King Minos of Crete, who had the inventor Daedalus create a labyrinth beneath his palace in which was housed the Minotaur, a fearsome monster with the head of a bull and body of a man. The Minotaur was said to have been slain by the Greek hero Theseus, who then managed to find his way out of the labyrinth with the aid of a ball of thread that had been given to him by Ariadne, the daughter of Minos.
Examples of labyrinth in a Sentence
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 19 Oct. 2024
The deal that is expected to install Skydance chief David Ellison as chairman, CEO and hopefully savior of Paramount Global is a labyrinth of entities, trusts and transactions.
—Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024
Deep in the labyrinth of Studio 8H—the longtime home of Saturday Night Live at 30 Rockefeller Center—actor Chloe Fineman sits in a chair with a wig cap on.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 1 Nov. 2024
In the clip, below, Mark (Adam Scott) appears to be lost in the office's labyrinth as audio snippets from season 1 flash through his mind.
—Lauren Huff, EW.com, 23 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near labyrinth
Cite this Entry
“Labyrinth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labyrinth. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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labyrinth
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