maraña

Maraña is a feminine noun in Spanish that denotes a tangled mass or jumble of things. Its primary senses refer to enredos formed by threads, wires, or fibers, and to vegetation or other materials that are interwoven and disorderly. The word is commonly used to describe physical tangles such as a “maraña de cables,” a “maraña de ramas” or a similar knot of objects.

Beyond the literal sense, maraña is frequently used figuratively to describe a complex, confusing, or troublesome situation or system. Expressions such as “una maraña administrativa” or “una maraña legal” are common in many Spanish-speaking regions, conveying the idea of bureaucratic or legal entanglement that is difficult to disentangle.

In usage, the related verbs enmarañar and desenmarañar describe the action of creating or removing a Maraña: enmarañar means to entangle or complicate, while desenmarañar means to untangle or sort out. These terms can apply to physical tangles as well as to metaphorical ones, such as problems, documents, or procedures.

Etymologically, maraña is connected to the verb enmarañar, with the root idea of entangling or weaving into a dense, knotted mass. The term is widely understood in the Spanish-speaking world, though regional preferences may favor different synonyms in specific contexts.

See also: enredo, madeja, nudo, embrollo, desenmarañar.