LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

labyrinthus

labyrinthus m (genitive labyrinthī)
Classical[ɫa.byˈrɪn.tʰʊs]Ecclesiastical[la.biˈrin.tus]
Mille Verba core vocabulary

Meaning

  1. masculinea building with many winding passages, a labyrinth; especially that built by Daedalus, near Knossos, Crete
    Quod evenit in labyrintho properantibus: ipsa illos velocitas implicat.c. 65 CE, Seneca Minor, Epistulae morales ad Lucilium 5.44.7
  2. figurativelymasculinea maze, tangle, bewildering intricacy

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

domus mīra multārum viārum, ex quā exīre difficile est.
labyrinthus -ī m — in Mille Verba, Urbs et Aedificia

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativelabyrinthuslabyrinthī
genitivelabyrinthīlabyrinthōrum
dativelabyrinthōlabyrinthīs
accusativelabyrinthumlabyrinthōs
ablativelabyrinthōlabyrinthīs
vocativelabyrinthelabyrinthī

lăbўrinthus, i, m., = λαβύρινθος,
I. a labyrinth, a building with many winding passages; e. g. that built by Psammetichus on Lake Mœris, in Middle Egypt, and containing 3000 chambers, Mel. 1, 9, 5; Plin. 36, 13, 19, § 84; but esp. that built by Dædalus, near Gnossus, in Crete, id. 36, 13, 19, § 85; Sen. Ep. 44, 6; Ov. M. 8, 159; Juv. 1, 53; Verg. A. 5, 588.—
B. Trop., a maze, tangle, bewildering intricacy: inextricabilis negotii, Sid. Ep. 2, 5.—
II. Hence,
A. lăbўrinthēus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to a labyrinth, labyrinthine: flexus, Cat. 64, 114.—
B. lăbўrinthĭcus, a, um, adj., of a labyrinth, labyrinthine, intricate: viae, Sid. Ep. 9, 13: quaestionum insolubilitas, id. ib. 11, 4.

Origins

Borrowing from Ancient Greek λᾰβῠ́ρῐνθος (lăbŭ́rĭnthos, “maze”).

Descendants
  • Catalanlaberint
  • Frenchlabyrinthe
  • Italianlabirinto
  • Englishlabyrinthfrom Middle English laborintus
  • Occitanlaberint
  • Portugueselabirinto
  • Spanishlaberinto
  • Galicianlabirinto
  • Japaneseラビリンスfrom Middle English laborintus
  • Japaneseラビュリントス

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesLabyrinthusLabyrinthus (λαβύρινθος). This is by some set down as the corruption of an Egyptian word meaning the building at the entrance of a reservoir (Brugsch,…

Quick answers

What does labyrinthus mean in Latin?
labyrinthus, a noun, means “a building with many winding passages, a labyrinth; especially that built by Daedalus, near Knossos, Crete; a maze, tangle, bewildering intricacy”.
What is the genitive of labyrinthus?
The genitive singular is labyrinthī. labyrinthus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce labyrinthus?
In classical Latin, [ɫa.byˈrɪn.tʰʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [la.biˈrin.tus].