labyrinth
noun
Paul Blanshard
Did you know?
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
John Hopewell, Variety, 15 July 2025
No matter how complicated the labyrinth of modern politics becomes, that thread will lead us through.
—Linda McMahon, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 July 2025
Why is the Perseverance rover so obsessed with this little labyrinth?
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 6 June 2025
Out on a labyrinth of canals in Coral Gables, Florida, police are on the lookout for fishermen who might be spotters or boats carrying more weight than normal.
—Aarne Heikkila, NBC news, 17 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for labyrinth
Cite this Entry
“Labyrinth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labyrinth. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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