A Maze Has Choices, a Labyrinth Does Not
A maze is a confusing network of paths. Strictly, a labyrinth is something quite different.
A maze is a network of paths designed to confuse. Specialists distinguish it from a labyrinth: a maze has branching choices and dead ends, while a classical labyrinth is a single winding path with no decisions at all — you cannot get lost in one, only walk it. Medieval cathedral labyrinths were for meditative walking, not puzzle-solving. *Maze* is related to *amaze*, which originally meant to bewilder rather than to delight.
- A confusing network. *A hedge maze.*
- A labyrinth. *A labyrinth.*
- To bewilder. *Amazed.*
- Dead end. *A dead end.*
- Middle English — related to *amaze*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | maze | A maze. |
| Plural | mazes | Mazes. |
| Related | amaze | To amaze. |
| Adjective | mazy | Mazy. |
| Related | labyrinth | A labyrinth. |
- They got lost in the maze.Puzzle.
- A labyrinth has one path.Distinction.
- Amaze meant to bewilder.Etymology.
Maze and labyrinth
- A maze branches, with choices and dead ends
- A labyrinth is one winding path to the centre
- You can be lost in a maze but not a labyrinth
- Chartres Cathedral has a famous walking labyrinth
- Ordinary usage treats the two as synonyms
Middle English, from the root of *amaze*, originally meaning to bewilder or stupefy.
What is the difference between a maze and a labyrinth?
A maze branches, with choices and dead ends. A classical labyrinth is a single path with no decisions, so you cannot get lost.
Did amaze always mean to delight?
No. It meant to bewilder or stupefy, and the positive sense developed much later.