I. ˈmāz verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English mazen, masen, probably from (assumed) Old English masian to confuse; perhaps akin to Swedish masa to be sluggish
transitive verb
1. now chiefly dialect : to bring to a state of confused disorder : stupefy , daze
2. : to greatly perplex : bewilder , confuse
intransitive verb
: to wander in or as if in a maze
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English maze, mase, from mazen, masen, v.
1.
a.
(1) : an intricate pattern of passages (as hedge-bordered paths) that ramifies and interconnects in a confusing way ; also : a complicated winding path that is much longer than a corresponding direct route
(2) : a path complicated by at least one blind alley and used in learning experiments and in intelligence tests
b. : something intricately and confusingly elaborate or complicated
the maze of inland waterways
caught up in the maze and whirl of political life
the trials had become a legalistic maze — Collier's Year Book
2. now chiefly dialect : a state of bewilderment or amazement
his mind was in a maze — Liam O'Flaherty
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English meise, from Middle French maise receptacle for herrings, from Middle Low German meise, mēse barrel; akin to Old High German meisa frame for carrying loads on the back, Old Norse meiss basket, Sanskrit meṣa ram, fleece
dialect Britain : any of various units of quantity of fish (as herring) from 500 to 650