intricate
/ˈɪntrɪkət/adjective
Complexly interconnected, detailed, or difficult to understand
From Latin in- (in) + Latin; origin uncertain tricae (perplexities).
Lineage
The story
Picture a thread snarled so badly you cannot tell where it goes in or out: that is the image behind Latin intrīcātus, “entangled.” Its verb, intricare, joined in- (“in”) with tricae, a Latin word for perplexities or hindrances whose deeper origin remains uncertain. The same verb later slipped into French and Italian and gave English intrigue, first with a distinctly murky sense of trickery and plotting; by 1894, intrigue could also mean something that piques curiosity. Intricate entered English in the early 15th century, first in medical writing, where tangled structure was quite literal. And extricate is its memorable near-opposite: when the knot is intricate, you try to get yourself out.
Words from the same roots
Sources
- Etymonlineintricate, perplexity, intrigue, complicate, complex
- Urban Dictionaryintricate
- Wiktionaryintricate