Think of a loose net or a heap of string. Something goes into it, turns once, turns again, and now there is a knot. Two things happen at the same time, and entangle needs both: the thing is held, and the way out has become . That is why untangling is always part of the picture. Whether the thing in the net is a turtle, a person, or two ideas, the shape is the same.
From the word’s history
Entangle is en- plus tangle: to put something into a tangled state. The Middle English word entanglen is first recorded meaning to involve someone in difficulty, so the human uses are not a late metaphor on top of the rope; both pictures have travelled together from the start.
entangle 由 en-（使進入某狀態）加上 tangle（纏結）組成。中古英文 entanglen 最早記到的意思是「讓人陷入困難」，所以人被捲進事情這一層，並不是後來才加上去的比喻；兩種畫面一開始就同行。
Wiktionary entry for entangle, source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:1113860319:35599, as supplied in the evidence packet
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原始詞典資料4 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
entangleverb/ɪnˈtaŋ.ɡəl/
- 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.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。