Etymologically
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labyrinth

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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈlæb.ə.ɹɪnθ/, /ˈlæb.ɹɪnθ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English laberinthe, earlier laborintus,[2][3][4] borrowed from Latin labyrinthus,[2][3][5][4] from Ancient Greek λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos),[2][3][5][4] a word of unknown, probably pre-Greek origin.[4][5] It has been connected with Lydian labrys “double-headed axe”, a symbol of royal power, so that it would mean “palace of the double axe”,[2][5][4] but Beekes considers this speculative.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The great building with intricate passages built by Daedalus in Crete to hold the Minotaur, and similar structures of antiquity (1387).[6][4][5]

Semantic evolution

Already in Middle English the word was used figuratively for bewildering arguments.[4] It was extended to garden mazes of high hedges (1611),[6] to any tangle of streets or physical features (1615),[6] and to any confusing state of affairs (1548).[5] In anatomy it names the complex cavities of the inner ear.[2][3][7]

Timeline

  • about 1380–1387 – the labyrinth of classical antiquity.[6][5][4]
  • 1548 – a confusing, complicated state of affairs.[5]
  • 1611 – a garden maze.[6]
  • 1615 – any intricate arrangement of features or buildings.[6]
  • 1808 – verb, to enclose as in a labyrinth.[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. An intricate network of passages in which it is hard to find one's way; a maze.
  2. (Greek mythology) The maze in which the Minotaur was kept.
  3. Something highly intricate or convoluted.
  4. (anatomy) The inner ear, or a similar group of complex cavities.

Word family

  • labyrinthian
  • labyrinthine
  • maze

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House