Standard Lemma guide

labyrinth

noun · verb · 13 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈlæb.ə.ɹɪnθ/
  • /ˈlæb.ɹɪnθ/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: L AE1 B ER0 IH2 N TH Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A maze-like structure built by Daedalus in Knossos, containing the Minotaur.

A complicated irregular network of passages or paths, especially underground or covered, in which it is difficult to find one's way.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maze

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A maze-like structure built by Daedalus in Knossos, containing the Minotaur.

A maze formed by paths separated by high hedges.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: agriculture, business, horticulture, human-sciences, lifestyle, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A maze-like structure built by Daedalus in Knossos, containing the Minotaur.

A structure similar to a maze, but containing only one path with no branches, as distinguished from a maze which contains multiple branching paths

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A maze-like structure built by Daedalus in Knossos, containing the Minotaur.

Anything complicated and confusing in structure, arrangement, or character.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Greek, broadly

Topics: human-sciences, mysticism, mythology, philosophy, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A tortuous anatomical structure:

A complex structure in the inner ear which contains the organs of hearing and balance, consisting of bony cavities (the bony labyrinth) filled with fluid and lined with sensitive membranes (the membranous labyrinth).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A tortuous anatomical structure:

An accessory respiratory organ of certain fish.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences, zoology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

Any of various satyrine butterflies of the genus Neope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

To enclose in a labyrinth, or as though in a labyrinth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To arrange in the form of a labyrinth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To twist and wind, following a labyrinthine path.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To become lost and confused, as if in a labyrinth.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

noun

Meaning 12

complex system of paths or tunnels in which it is easy to get lost

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: maze

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: system

Narrower terms: Labyrinth of Minos

13

noun

Meaning 13

a complex system of interconnecting cavities; concerned with hearing and equilibrium

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: inner ear, internal ear

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sense organ, sensory receptor, receptor

History

Etymology

From Middle English laberynt, laberynthe, from Latin labyrinthus, from Ancient Greek λᾰβύρῐνθος (lăbúrĭnthos, “a maze”).

Across languages

Translations

124 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: doolhof — maze
  • Afrikaans: labirint — maze
  • Albanian: labirint — maze
  • Albanian: rrojmë — maze
  • Arabic: مَتَاهَة (matāha) — maze
  • Armenian: լաբիրինթոս (labirintʻos) — maze
  • Armenian: բավիղ (baviġ) — maze
  • Azerbaijani: labirint — maze
  • Azerbaijani: dolanbac — maze
  • Basque: labirinto — maze
  • Belarusian: лабіры́нт (labirýnt) — maze
  • Bengali: গোলকধাঁধা (gōlkodhãdha) — maze
  • Bulgarian: лабири́нт (labirínt) — maze
  • Burmese: ဝင်္ကပါ (wangka.pa) — maze
  • Catalan: laberint — maze
  • Catalan: dèdal — maze
  • Chinese Cantonese: 明陣 /明阵 — maze
  • Chinese Cantonese: 迷宮 /迷宫 (mai4 gung1) — maze
  • Chinese Mandarin: 明陣 /明阵 — maze
  • Chinese Mandarin: 迷宮 /迷宫 (mígōng) — maze
  • Czech: labyrint — maze
  • Czech: bludiště — maze
  • Danish: labyrint — maze
  • Dhivehi: މޭޒެވެ (mēzeve) — maze
  • Dutch: doolhof — maze
  • Dutch: labyrint — maze
  • Esperanto: labirinto — maze
  • Estonian: labürint — maze
  • Finnish: labyrintti — maze
  • Finnish: sokkelo — maze
  • French: labyrinthe — maze
  • Galician: labirinto — maze
  • Georgian: ლაბირინთი (labirinti) — maze
  • German: Labyrinth — maze
  • Greek: λαβύρινθος (lavýrinthos) — maze
  • Ancient Greek: λαβύρινθος (labúrinthos) — maze
  • Hebrew: מָבוֹךְ (mavókh) — maze
  • Hebrew: לָבִּירִינְת (labirínt) — maze
  • Hindi: भूलभुलैया (bhūlbhulaiyā) — maze
  • Hungarian: labirintus — maze
  • Icelandic: völundarhús — maze
  • Ido: labirinto — maze
  • Indonesian: labirin — maze
  • Irish: lúbra — maze
  • Irish: cathair ghríobháin — maze
  • Italian: labirinto — maze
  • Japanese: 迷路 (meiro) — maze
  • Japanese: 迷宮 (meikyū) — maze
  • Kazakh: шытырман (şytyrman) — maze
  • Kazakh: лабиринт (labirint) — maze
  • Khmer: របត់ (rɔɔrɔbɑt) — maze
  • Korean: 미로 (miro) — maze
  • Kyrgyz: лабиринт (labirint) — maze
  • Lao: ວົງກົດ (wong kot) — maze
  • Latin: labyrinthus — maze
  • Latvian: labirints — maze
  • Lithuanian: labirintas — maze
  • Macedonian: лавири́нт (lavirínt) — maze
  • Malay: labirin — maze
  • Malay: pagar sesat — maze
  • Mon: ဝၚ်ဂပဝ် — maze
  • Mongolian: лабиринт (labirint) — maze
  • Norwegian Bokmål: labyrint — maze
  • Persian: هِزارتو (hezârtu) — maze
  • Persian: هِزارخَم (hezârxam) — maze
  • Persian: لابیرِنت (lâbirent) — maze
  • Polish: labirynt — maze
  • Polish: błędnik — maze
  • Portuguese: labirinto — maze
  • Romanian: labirint — maze
  • Russian: лабири́нт (labirínt) — maze
  • Scottish Gaelic: ioma-shlighe — maze
  • Serbo-Croatian: лабѝринт — maze
  • Serbo-Croatian: лавѝринт — maze
  • Serbo-Croatian: labìrint — maze
  • Serbo-Croatian: lavìrint — maze
  • Slovak: labyrint — maze
  • Slovak: bludisko — maze
  • Slovene: labirint — maze
  • Slovene: blodnjak — maze
  • Spanish: laberinto — maze
  • Swedish: labyrint — maze
  • Tagalog: labirint — maze
  • Tajik: лабиринт (labirint) — maze
  • Thai: วงกต (wong-gòt) — maze
  • Turkish: labirent — maze
  • Turkmen: labirent — maze
  • Ukrainian: лабіри́нт (labirýnt) — maze
  • Urdu: بھُول بھُلیاں (bhūl bhuliyān) — maze
  • Uyghur: سىرلىق ئوردا (sirliq orda) — maze
  • Uzbek: labirint — maze
  • Vietnamese: mê cung — maze
  • Vietnamese: mê hồn trận — maze
  • Volapük: labüren — maze
  • Walloon: labrin — maze
  • Yiddish: לאַבירינט (labirint) — maze
  • Afrikaans: labirint — anything complicated or confusing
  • Azerbaijani: dolanbac — anything complicated or confusing
  • Bulgarian: лабиринт (labirint) — anything complicated or confusing
  • Bulgarian: завъртулка (zavǎrtulka) — anything complicated or confusing
  • Finnish: labyrintti — anything complicated or confusing
  • Galician: labirinto — anything complicated or confusing
  • Hindi: भूलभुलैया (bhūlbhulaiyā) — anything complicated or confusing
  • Hindi: उलझन (uljhan) — anything complicated or confusing
  • Italian: meandro — anything complicated or confusing
  • Polish: labirynt — anything complicated or confusing
  • Portuguese: labirinto — anything complicated or confusing
  • Spanish: laberinto — anything complicated or confusing
  • Spanish: dédalo — anything complicated or confusing
  • Basque: labirinto — part of inner ear
  • Bulgarian: лабири́нт (labirínt) — part of inner ear
  • Catalan: laberint — part of inner ear
  • Czech: labyrint — part of inner ear
  • Dutch: labyrint — part of inner ear
  • Esperanto: labirinto — part of inner ear
  • Finnish: labyrintti — part of inner ear
  • German: Labyrinth — part of inner ear
  • Greek: λαβύρινθος (lavýrinthos) — part of inner ear
  • Irish: lúbra — part of inner ear
  • Italian: labirinto — part of inner ear
  • Polish: błędnik — part of inner ear
  • Polish: labirynt — part of inner ear
  • Portuguese: labirinto — part of inner ear
  • Spanish: laberinto — part of inner ear