entangle

verb

Etymology: From Middle English entanglen (“to involve [someone] in difficulty”, “to embarrass”). Equivalent to en- + tangle.

1. To tangle up; to twist or interweave in such a manner as not to be easily separated.

   “The dolphins became entangled in a fishing net.”

2. To involve in such complications as to render extrication difficult.
3. To ensnare.

   “But when I turn away, / Thou, willing me to stay, / Wooest not, nor vainly wranglest; / But, looking fixedly the while, / All my bounding heart entanglest, / In a golden-netted smile; […]”

4. To involve in difficulties or embarrassments; to embarrass, puzzle, or distract by adverse or perplexing circumstances, interests, demands, etc.; to hamper; to bewilder.

   “The story entangles the facts with value judgments.”