The modern word labyrinth comes from the Minotaur’s legendary prison in Greek mythology.
In the myth, Daedalus builds the Labyrinth for King Minos on Crete. Its purpose is to contain the Minotaur, a creature with a human body and a bull’s head. Theseus enters the structure, defeats the monster, and escapes with Ariadne’s help.
In modern English, labyrinth means a complicated network of passages or a structure designed to confuse. It is often used interchangeably with maze, although some writers distinguish a labyrinth as a single winding route and a maze as a branching puzzle. That distinction is modern rather than a universal rule.
The word’s deeper ancient history is uncertain. It may be connected with the double axe symbol called the labrys and with Bronze Age Cretan palace traditions, but the exact etymology remains debated.