an intricate knot tied by Gordius, the king of Phrygia, and cut by the sword of Alexander the Great after he heard that whoever undid it would become ruler of Asia
any very difficult problem; insoluble in its own terms
a bewildering profusion; "the duties of citizenship are lost sight of in the wilderness of interests of individuals and groups"; "a wilderness of masts in the harbor"
a wild and uninhabited area left in its natural condition; "it was a wilderness preserved for the hawks and mountaineers"
a wooded region in northeastern Virginia near Spotsylvania where inconclusive battles were fought in the American Civil War
(politics) a state of disfavor; "he led the Democratic party back from the wilderness"
the act of changing location from one place to another; "police controlled the motion of the crowd"; "the movement of people from the farms to the cities"; "his move put him directly in my path"
a change of position that does not entail a change of location; "the reflex motion of his eyebrows revealed his surprise"; "movement is a sign of life"; "an impatient move of his hand"; "gastrointestinal motility"
a formal proposal for action made to a deliberative assembly for discussion and vote; "he made a motion to adjourn"; "she called for the question"
a state of change; "they were in a state of steady motion"
make (assets) available; "release the holdings in the dictator's bank account"
play the cards of (a suit) so that the last trick on which a hand can follow suit will be taken by a higher card in the hand of a partner who has the remaining cards of a combined holding
clear or remove an obstruction from; "the procedure unblocked his arteries"
a system of means and activities whereby a social institution functions; "the complex machinery of negotiation"; "the machinery of command labored and brought forth an order"
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way; "a class evenly divided between girls and boys"; "they split their winnings equally"; "deal equally with rich and poor"