warren

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a connected system of burrows in which rabbits live, or the rabbits occupying it

   A large rabbit warren lay beyond the far side of the field.

2. 2
   noun

   a crowded or confusing network of rooms, streets, or passages

   The old district was a warren of narrow lanes and hidden courtyards.

From Middle English warenne, through Anglo-Norman and Old Northern French warenne, 'an enclosed game preserve.' It is probably Germanic in origin and related to the idea of guarding or enclosing land. The maze-like figurative sense grew from rabbit burrows.

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