Tangel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A knot or tangled mass of threads, hair, or similar long, thin items that have become intertwined; a state of confusion or disorder in objects or situations; a small, prickly seaweed common in marine environments
2. An entangled cluster of strands such as hair or threads that are knotted together; a disorderly or complicated condition in affairs or things; a type of coarse seaweed found in saltwater habitats
3. A complex twist or snarl of fibers or lines that are matted together; a perplexing or chaotic arrangement in physical or abstract contexts; a marine plant known for its tangled appearance along shorelines

Etymology: "Tangel" is an older spelling of "tangle," the form that survives today. Its exact origin is uncertain, but it is most likely tied to the word "tang," an old name for seaweed, possibly borrowed from a Scandinavian source. Anyone who has pulled wet weed out of a net or an anchor line knows how it knots itself into a dense, matted mass, and that is probably the picture the word first carried before it was applied to threads. The connection to seaweed is a likely one rather than a proven fact, since early records do not always show how a word moved from one sense to another. What is clear is that the sense of confused, knotted threads came to dominate, and it is that sense the word still carries in everyday English.

Synonyms: kelp, seaweed, algae