Embrangle: \Em*bran''gle\, v. t. [Mid-17th Cent.: em- (L. "in") + brangle (obs. "to shake, squabble" > Fr. branler "to shake"]
(past em bran gled
p. part. em bran gled
pres. part. em bran gling
pres. sing. em bran gles
noun em bran gle ment

v. t.1 arch. make more complicated or confused through entanglements; confuse or entangle
v. t.2 arch. confuse, perplex, or entangle somebody or something

Webster's Second New International Dictionary (1913) cites:

I am lost and embrangled in inextricable difficulties. —Berkeley.

(That is quite an artistic way to use the word. Even as a word heretofore unfamiliar to me, it doesn't sound in the least out of place . . .)

   I hate MSN, I hate Encarta, I hate Microsoft, but for some odd reason, I found this list of 10 Words You Simply Must Know on Google. Tenth on the list, after the leader, "defenestrate", and following "cullet", "pellucid", and others, lay a beautiful archaic word: "embrangle". Needless to say, I quickly looked up the etymology (I refuse to use "Google" as a verb) online, and made a long-pondered decision in a moment's time to expose this word from one more (albeit small) venue to the minds of the world.
Public, educate thyself.

Crosspost: Scraps and Academic Musings