In Greek mythology, what Greek word is the origin of “labyrinth”?

In Greek mythology, “labyrinth” comes from the Greek word labyrinthos.

The term labyrinthos appears in ancient Greek contexts and is traditionally connected with the complex structure associated with King Minos and the Minotaur. Its deeper etymology is uncertain. One widely discussed possibility links it with the double axe, or labrys, a symbol found in Minoan religious and archaeological contexts, but scholars do not treat that explanation as definitively proven.

In modern English, labyrinth can mean a maze, but the two words are not always exact synonyms. A maze generally emphasizes deliberate choice among branching paths and dead ends, while a labyrinth often describes a single winding route toward a centre. In popular retellings of the Minotaur story, however, the Labyrinth is usually imagined as a maze-like prison.