intricate
/ˈɪn.tɹɪ.kət/ adjective, verb
Forms intricates intricating intricated
- adjective Having a great deal of fine detail or complexity. “The architecture of this clock is very intricate.”
- adjective (archaic) Difficult to disentangle, puzzle apart, or resolve; enigmatic, obscure.
- verb (intransitive) To become enmeshed or entangled.
- verb (transitive) To enmesh or entangle: to cause to intricate.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English intricat(e) (“entangled, intricate”), from Latin intrīcātus, perfect passive participle of intricō, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
As for Etymology 1; from Latin intrīcātus, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Entangled; involved; perplexed; complicated; difficult to understand, follow, arrange, or adjust; as, intricate machinery, labyrinths, accounts, plots, etc. His style was fit to convey the most intricate business to the understanding with the utmost clearness. Addison.
- verb To entangle; to involve; to make perplexing. [Obs.]
Etymology [L. intricatus, p. p. of intricare to entangle, perplex. Cf. Intrigue, Extricate.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “intricate”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details