labyrinth
part of speech
noun (a labyrinth, labyrinths)
meaning for a pupil
1) A complicated network of paths or passages where it is easy to get lost; a maze. tree →
2) Something very complicated and confusing, like a labyrinth of rules. tree →
3) (Greek myth) The maze on the island of Crete where the Minotaur lived. tree →
4) (science) The inner part of the ear, which helps with hearing and balance. tree →
5) A single winding path used for walking and thinking or prayer, found in some churches and gardens. tree →
sense 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 →
- The old town is a labyrinth of narrow streets. tree →
- We got lost in the hedge labyrinth at the castle. tree →
- The tax forms were a labyrinth of rules. tree →
- The inner ear's labyrinth helps you keep your balance. tree →
- Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to escape the labyrinth. tree →
- Chartres Cathedral has a famous labyrinth set in its floor. tree →
- They stood in a labyrinth of endless halls and arched passages, all communicating with each other. tree →
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.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «labyrinth» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.