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snarl²

(snärl)

1. A tangled mass, as of hair or yarn.

2. A confused, complicated, or tangled situation: a traffic snarl.

v. snarled, snarl·ing, snarls

v.intr.

To become tangled or confused.

v.tr.

1. To tangle or knot (hair, for example).

2. To confuse or complicate: Snow snarled the morning commute.

[Middle English snarle, trap, probably diminutive of snare; see SNARE¹.]

snarler n.

snarly adj.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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