To tangle, snarl, or twist into a confused mass; to complicate or involve in a tangle.
From 'en-' (causative prefix) + 'snarl' (from Old Norse 'snarr'). The word combines the prefix 'en-' meaning 'to cause to be in' with 'snarl,' originally meaning a tangled mass, creating a verb meaning to cause tanglement.
Medieval hunters and warriors used snarl-based vocabulary—'ensnarl,' 'entangle,' 'entoil'—to describe the moment prey or enemies became caught, which is why these words carry such dramatic tension even when we use them metaphorically today.
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