[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/labyrinth/)

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# labyrinth

noun (a labyrinth, labyrinths)

«labyrinth» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A complicated network of paths or passages where it is easy to get lost; a maze. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#m1)
2. Something very complicated and confusing, like a labyrinth of rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#m2)
3. (Greek myth) The maze on the island of Crete where the Minotaur lived. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#m3)
4. (science) The inner part of the ear, which helps with hearing and balance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#m4)
5. A single winding path used for walking and thinking or prayer, found in some churches and gardens. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#m5)

### In the lessons

In stories and myths, Theseus went into the Labyrinth to fight the Minotaur and used a thread to find his way out. In maths puzzles pupils solve mazes; in science, the inner ear's labyrinth controls balance. In church life, some cathedrals have prayer labyrinths. Phrases: a labyrinth of streets, lost in a labyrinth.

### Examples

- Theseus entered the labyrinth to fight the Minotaur. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x1)
- The old town is a labyrinth of narrow streets. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x2)
- We got lost in the hedge labyrinth at the castle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x3)
- The tax forms were a labyrinth of rules. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x4)
- The inner ear's labyrinth helps you keep your balance. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x5)
- Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to escape the labyrinth. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x6)
- Chartres Cathedral has a famous labyrinth set in its floor. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x7)
- They stood in a labyrinth of endless halls and arched passages, all communicating with each other. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/#x8)

### Note

Countable: a labyrinth, labyrinths. Spelling: «y» after «b», «-inth» at the end. Pronounced LAB-uh-rinth. Adjective: labyrinthine (very complicated). A maze may have dead ends; strictly, an old-style labyrinth is one winding path, but in everyday English they mean the same.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «labyrinth» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/L/labyrinth/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«labyrinth» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/labyrinth.html) on Mova free.