Remember a few months back, when we checked out the word Icarian? With the Greek mythic figure Icarus, with the wax wings and the plunging to his own stupid death?

Well, a hearty high five to Mark, who wrote in response:

Why isn't this a story about Daedalus...? He invented these cool wings of feathers and wax which would allow a human to fly! He understood the limitations of the invention, and provided directions on how to safely use them. He survived the flight. Instead, his idiot kid doesn't listen to his father, and ends up killing himself. So the idiot kid is the focus of the story. In my opinion, the story should be about the inventor/engineer.

It's an excellent point. Hence, today's issue, all about Daedalus: inventor, engineer, and big dreamer extraordinaire. 

In the myths, Daedalus invented not just the wings but also the Labyrinth. Can you explain what it means when something is labyrinthine? If you're not sure, we'll get there in just a second.

(Source)

In Greek myth, Daedalus ("DED uh luss") is the genius architect, sculptor, and mechanician who designs the Labyrinth (a highly complex walled structure) as well as wings for human flight (both illustrated above).

So, if you call something Daedalian, you mean it's either created with incredible art and skill, or it's incredibly complex.

grammatical bits:

Part of speech:

Adjective, the proper kind, so you capitalize it: "their Daedalian dreamscapes."

Other forms: 

There's an alternate spelling, "Daedalean," and a much older adjective, "daedal."

You could refer to someone as a Daedalus. But there's also the noun "Daedalist" for that same purpose.

how to use it:

Let's say you want to compare something ingenious and fanciful to the wax wings from the story of Icarus and Daedalus, but you don't want to call it "Icarian" because the connotation is wrong. That is, you don't want to connote how the wings failed Icarus, leading him to his death. You just want to connote the ingenuity: how the wings actually worked, helping Daedalus to escape the labyrinth.

In that case, use the word "Daedalian." And if you do, please tell me about it, because it's one of those rare, exorbitantly specific and scholarly words that we might carry around in our brains for decades before we get a chance to actually use them. Seriously, message me.

You might talk about Daedalian schemes, plans, designs, inventions, etc. Or Daedalian grace, beauty, intellect, engineering, etc.

examples:

"Here is an author who keeps extending the limitless boundaries of fiction. Living in a Daedalian waxworks reality, these Ballard characters nearly always succeed in taking wing before melting under the sun."
   — Herbert Mitgang, New York Times, 10 April 1991

"Here she laments her rattle-bag education, but look at that Daedalian construction: a question masquerading as a declaration — or a declaration undermining the question. A transitive verb ('formulate') which never finds an object, an adjectival verb ('self felt'), a participle ('balancing'), and a gerund ('spanning') plunging the categorical certainty of parts of speech into a maelstrom."  
   — Ange Mlinko, Poetry Magazine, 1 November 2018

has this page helped you understand "Daedalian"?

Awesome, I'm glad it helped!

Thanks for letting me know!
If you have any questions about this word, please message me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.

study it:

Explain the meaning of "Daedalian" without saying "ingenious" or "Byzantine."

try it out:

You might describe a story's plot as Daedalian if it's brilliant and complex: full of twists and turns, and skillfully designed, so that when you finally finish it, you feel a disorienting mixture of relief, accomplishment, and amazement.

Do you enjoy Daedalian stories? (In any form: books, movies, comics, etc.) Why or why not? Can you think of any examples that you liked or disliked—or never finished?

If you like, use this space to write. (To save your work, copy and paste it into an email or a document.)

before you review, play:

Try to spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—first, let your working memory empty out.

Our game this month is "Name that Sketchplanation!"

Check out the sketch below, created by Jono Hey at Sketchplanations.com.

Focus on the title, and see if you can come up with the word or phrase that belongs in the blurry spot. It'll be one we've studied before.

See the answer on the original Sketchplanation!

And if you like, review the word here.

review this word:

1. The opposite of DAEDALIAN could be

A. UGLY or AWKWARD.
B. SIMPLE or STUPID.
C. TIMID or COWARDLY.

2. In botany, "daedalous" leaves have _____.

A. tiny, sharp, densely arranged spikes
B. many lovely, delicate twists and turns
C. small, spiny, needle-shaped projections

Answers to the review questions: 1. B 2. B

a final word:

I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love. I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words. From my blog: On vocabulary...       36 ways to study words.       Why we forget words, & how to remember them.       How to use sophisticated words without being awkward. On writing...       How to improve any sentence.       How to motivate our kids to write.       How to stop procrastinating and start writing.       How to bulk up your writing when you have to meet a word count. From my heart: a profound thanks to the generous patrons, donors, and sponsors that make it possible for me to write these emails. If you'd like to be a patron or a donor, please click here. If you'd like to be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com. A disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.