Complicacy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The characteristic of having numerous intricate components that complicate comprehension or resolution
2. A condition marked by intricate details and multifaceted elements that hinder clarity and straightforwardness
3. The quality of being made up of many interwoven parts that create difficulty in understanding or dealing with something

Etymology: Beneath this word's sense of tangled difficulty lies a literal image of folding. Its root is the Latin "complicare," meaning "to fold together," from "com-" ("together") and "plicare" ("to fold"). Latin used the verb for folding cloth or entwining things, and English "complicate" carried that physical sense of being folded or intertwined before it came to mean making something difficult. The noun is built by adding the suffix "-acy" to that stem, so it names the quality of being tangled in that way. The same folding image sits behind several related English words. "Complex" comes from the Latin "complexus," "plaited together," and "complicit" traces to the same root, which once described being folded together with someone in a deed, giving us the sense of an accomplice. The noun "complicacy" is a rare formation that appears to be mainly used in careful or technical writing rather than everyday speech.

Synonyms: complexity, intricacy, difficulty, entanglement, messiness

Antonyms: simplicity, easiness, clarity, straightforwardness, plainness