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labyrinthe

labyrinth, maze

noun lah-bee-RANHT Rare
Travel & Places Landmarks

Origin: Greek labyrinthos

Usage Note

labyrinthe comes from the myth of the Cretan maze built by Daedalus. In modern French it is used both literally (a garden maze, a complex building) and figuratively for any confusing tangle — un labyrinthe administratif ('bureaucratic maze'). The adjective labyrinthique means maze-like.

Examples

"Ils se sont perdus dans le labyrinthe."

Natural Translation

They got lost in the labyrinth.

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