imbroglio
UK /ɪmˈbɹəʊljəʊ/ · US /ɪmˈbɹoʊljoʊ/ noun
Forms imbroglios imbrogli
- noun A complicated situation; an entanglement.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian imbroglio (“tangle, entanglement, muddle”) (im-, alternative form of in- (prefix forming verbs denoting derivation) + broglio (“confusion; intrigue, fraud, rigging, stuffing”); see also imbrogliare (“to tangle”)), cognate with and probably from an earlier form of French embrouiller (“to embroil, muddle”) (em- (“em-”), a form of en- (“en-”, prefix meaning ‘caused’) + brouiller (“to confuse, mix up”)). Doublet of embroil.
Webster’s 1913
- noun An intricate, complicated plot, as of a drama or work of fiction.
- noun A complicated and embarrassing state of things; a serious misunderstanding.
Etymology [It. See 1st Broil, and cf. Embroil.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “imbroglio”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details