labyrinthine

English

WOTD – 23 November 2011

The labyrinthine underside of the fungus Daedalea quercina.

Etymology

From labyrinth +‎ -ine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /læb.əˈɹɪn.θɪn/, /læb.əˈɹɪn.θin/, /læb.əˈɹɪn.θaɪn/

• Audio (US):

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  Audio (US):

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Adjective

labyrinthine (comparative more labyrinthine, superlative most labyrinthine)

1. Physically resembling a labyrinth; with the qualities of a maze.
   • 1996, Steen L. Jensen, H. Gregerson. M. H. Shokouh-Amin, F. G. Moody, (eds.), Essentials of Experimental Surgery: Gastroenterology, page 27/4

     In the pyloric canal, muscular ridges are more fixed than elsewhere and produce quite a labyrinthine surface.

   • 2011, Lincoln Child, Deep Storm, page 185

     Crane trotted along the labyrinthine corridors of deck 3, accompanied by a young marine with close-cropped blond hair.

2. (figurative) Convoluted, baffling, confusing, perplexing.
   • 1996, Roger Ebert, Review of "American Buffalo":

     Mamet, like one of his characters, invents a labyrinthine, convoluted spiel leading nowhere, and like a magician distracts us with his words while elaborately not producing a rabbit from his hat.

   • 2000, Joseph J. Ellis, Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, page 51

     Any attempt to answer that question would carry us into the labyrinthine corridors of Jefferson's famously elusive mind.

   • 2005, Michael W. Riley, "Plato's Cratylus: Argument, form, and structure", page 103

     By coupling "essence" with "name" within a series of contraposed pairs of names, Socrates indicates the point to which he thinks his labyrinthine argument has led so far in the Cratylus.

Synonyms

• (resembling a labyrinth): labyrinthal, labyrinthial, labyrinthian, labyrinthic, labyrinthical, labyrinthiform
• (twisting, convoluted): baffling, confusing, convoluted

Related terms

• labyrinth
• labyrinthal
• labyrinthed
• labyrinthial
• labyrinthian

• labyrinthic
• labyrinthical
• labyrinthically
• labyrinthiform

Translations

physically resembling a labyrinth

• Catalan: laberíntic (ca)
• Dutch: als (nl) een (nl) doolhof (nl) m
• Finnish: sokkeloinen, labyrinttikuvioinen
• French: labyrinthique (fr) m or f
• German: labyrinthartig (de)
• Greek: λαβυρινθώδης (el) (lavyrinthódis), δαιδαλώδης (el) (daidalódis)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: labirintico
• Portuguese: labiríntico
• Russian: лабиринтообразный (labirintoobraznyj)
• Spanish: laberíntico (es)
• Swedish: labyrintisk (sv)
• Volapük: labürenik

twisting, convoluted, baffling

• Catalan: laberíntic (ca)
• Dutch: ingewikkeld (nl), verwarrend (nl)
• Finnish: monimutkainen (fi), rönsyilevä (fi), labyrinttimäinen, sekava (fi)
• Hindi: पेचीदा (hi) (pecīdā)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: labiríntico
• Russian: запутанный (ru) (zaputannyj), сло́жный (ru) (slóžnyj), (informal) мудрёный (ru) (mudrjónyj), тру́дный для понимания (trúdnyj dlja ponimanija)
• Spanish: laberíntico (es)
• Swedish: labyrintisk (sv), förvillande (sv)