labyrinth: Meaning and Definition of

lab•y•rinth

Pronunciation: (lab'u-rinth), [key]
— n.
  1. an intricate combination of paths or passages in which it is difficult to find one's way or to reach the exit.
  2. a maze of paths bordered by high hedges, as in a park or garden, for the amusement of those who search for a way out.
  3. a complicated or tortuous arrangement, as of streets or buildings.
  4. any confusingly intricate state of things or events; a bewildering complex.
  5. (cap.)a vast maze built in Crete by Daedalus, at the command of King Minos, to house the Minotaur.
    1. the internal ear, consisting of a bony portion(bony labyrinth)and a membranous portion(membranous labyrinth).
    2. the aggregate of air chambers in the ethmoid bone, between the eye and the upper part of the nose.
  6. a mazelike pattern inlaid in the pavement of a church.
  7. a loudspeaker enclosure with air chambers at the rear for absorbing sound waves radiating in one direction so as to prevent their interference with waves radiated in another direction.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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