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intricato

Intricato is an Italian adjective meaning intricate, complicated, or tangled. It describes things with many interrelated parts or layers, as well as situations, processes, or ideas that require careful analysis. The term conveys nuance and interconnection rather than mere difficulty.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin intricatus, the past participle of intricare, to entangle or twist together.

Usage and forms: Intricato is used across domains such as literature, design, engineering, and social analysis.

Relation and equivalents: In English, the closest equivalents are intricate, convoluted, or labyrinthine, depending on context.

See also: Intricate, Intricacy, Intricare.

The
form
reflects
a
common
pattern
in
Italian
where
the
meaning
stems
from
the
sense
of
being
entangled
or
interwoven.
It
can
describe
a
plot,
a
mechanism,
or
a
network
as
well
as
a
problem
or
issue.
Examples
in
Italian
include:
La
trama
è
intricata.
(The
plot
is
intricate.)
Un
meccanismo
intricato
richiede
precisione.
(A
complex
mechanism
requires
precision.)
Una
rete
intricatA
di
interessi.
(A
tangled
network
of
interests.)
The
word
changes
by
gender
and
number:
intricato
(masc.
sing.),
intricata
(fem.
sing.),
intricati
(masc.
plur.),
intricate
(fem.
plur.).
Intricato
is
primarily
used
in
Italian-language
writing
and
speech,
though
it
may
appear
in
translations
to
convey
a
similar
sense
of
complexity.
Related
terms
include
intricare
(to
entangle),
intricacy,
and
intricato
as
a
root
form
in
various
compounds.