Intricacies

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Intricate and detailed aspects that make up a complex system
2. The numerous interconnected details that define a multifaceted situation
3. The fine and complicated details that compose a complex structure or situation

Etymology: "Intricacies" is the plural of "intricacy," a noun built from "intricate" plus the suffix "-acy," which turns adjectives into nouns of quality or state (as in "accuracy" from "accurate" or "privacy" from "private"). The adjective "intricate" comes from the Latin "intricatus," meaning "entangled" or "perplexed," a past participle of "intricare," to entangle, from "in-" (within) and "tricae," meaning trifles or tangles. That original sense of tangling is still visible in the modern word. An intricacy is a detail that is tangled up with others, so that you cannot pull one strand out without disturbing the rest. The plural form picks out those individual knots, such as the intricacies of a clock mechanism or of a legal contract.

Synonyms: complexities, details, nuances, entanglements, tangles

Antonyms: simplicities, plainness, clarity