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labyrinth
labyrinth.
1. Key-pattern, maze, or meander. 2. Planting in a garden arranged as hedges between labyrinthine paths leading to a centre, a feature of C17 garden design, e.g. Hampton Court 3. Place laid out for ritual pilgrimage in a church, e.g. the inlaid labyrinth of blue and white stones in the nave-floor of Chartres Cathedral, France: the centre of such a labyrinth was the Jerusalem or Paradise, the Holy City of God to which the pilgrim aspired. 4. Maze cut in turf, as at Wing, Rut., and Saffron Walden, Essex, England, similar in design to the labyrinths in churches, which has led to a Christian interpretation being placed upon them, but they may have a non-Christian origin. Bibliography Bord (1976); |
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JAMES STEVENS CURL. "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAMES STEVENS CURL. "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-labyrinth.html JAMES STEVENS CURL. "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O1-labyrinth.html |
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labyrinth
lab·y·rinth
/ ˈlab(ə)ˌrin[unvoicedth]/
•
n.
1.
a complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one's way; a maze:
a labyrinth of passages and secret chambers.
∎ fig.
an intricate and confusing arrangement:
a labyrinth of conflicting laws and regulations.
2.
Anat.
a complex structure in the inner ear that contains the organs of hearing and balance.
∎ Zool.
an organ of intricate structure, in particular the accessory respiratory organs of certain fishes.
DERIVATIVES:
lab·y·rin·thi·an
/ ˌlabəˈrin[unvoicedth]ēən/ adj.
lab·y·rin·thine
/ ˌlabəˈrinˌ[unvoicedth]ēn; -ˈrin[unvoicedth]in; -ˈrinˌ[unvoicedth]īn/ adj.
labyrinth |
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"labyrinth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-labyrinth.html "labyrinth." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-labyrinth.html |
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labyrinth
labyrinth , intricate building of chambers and passages, often constructed so as to perplex and confuse a person inside. In Egypt, Amenemhet III of the XII dynasty built himself a funeral temple in the form of a great labyrinth near Lake Moeris. More celebrated was a labyrinth in Crete built, according to Greek myth, by Daedalus to house the Minotaur (see Minos ). |
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"labyrinth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-labyrin.html "labyrinth." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-labyrin.html |
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labyrinth
labyrinth (inner ear) (lab-er-inth) n. a convoluted system of cavities and ducts comprising the organs of hearing and balance. bony l. the bony canals and chambers, embedded in the petrous part of the temporal bone, that surround the membranous labyrinth. membranous l. the membranous canals and chambers comprising the semicircular canals, utricle, saccule, and cochlea.
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"labyrinth." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-labyrinth.html "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-labyrinth.html |
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Labyrinth
Labyrinthan intricate, complicated, or tortuous arrangement. Examples: labyrinth of islands, 1778; of peristyles and pediments, 1873; of rivulets and canals, 1777; of scattered suburbs, 1843; of small veins and arteries, 1615. |
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"Labyrinth." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Labyrinth." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300890.html "Labyrinth." Dictionary of Collective Nouns and Group Terms. 1985. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-2505300890.html |
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labyrinth
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"labyrinth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-labyrinth.html "labyrinth." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-labyrinth.html |
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labyrinth
labyrinth The system of cavities and tubes that comprises the inner ear of vertebrates. It consists of a system of membranous structures (membranous labyrinth) housed in a similar shaped bony cavity (bony labyrinth).
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"labyrinth." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-labyrinth.html "labyrinth." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-labyrinth.html |
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labyrinth
labyrinth XVI — F. labyrinthe or L. labyrinthus—Gr. labúrinthos, of non-Hellenic orig.
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T. F. HOAD. "labyrinth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "labyrinth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-labyrinth.html T. F. HOAD. "labyrinth." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-labyrinth.html |
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labyrinth
labyrinth •amaranth
•nth, tenth
•eighteenth, fifteenth, fourteenth, nineteenth, seventeenth, sixteenth, thirteenth, umpteenth
•plinth, synth
•Corinth • labyrinth • jacinth
•absinthe • hyacinth • ninth
•crème de menthe • month
•twelvemonth
•billionth, millionth, trillionth, zillionth
•eleventh, seventh
•thousandth • dozenth
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"labyrinth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "labyrinth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-labyrinth.html "labyrinth." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-labyrinth.html |
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