The Folded Vs. the Braided Understanding the difference between complicated and complex

A few days ago, I was watching a video of Dave Snowden and Nora Bateson in conversation, and as usual, Dave offered some fascinating insights. One that particularly resonated was his suggestion that the difference between “complicated” and “complex” can be clearly understood through their etymology.

Both words share the prefix com- (together), but their root verbs are different:

• Complicated comes from the Latin plicare (to fold). A complicated system has many folded parts that can be unfolded and analyzed by an expert to find a solution. Think of a very intricate piece of origami.
• Complex comes from the Latin plectere (to braid or twine). A complex system’s parts are braided together, and their interwoven nature creates unpredictable, emergent behavior that you can only truly understand in retrospect.

This distinction perfectly mirrors the Cynefin Framework: Complicated systems can be solved, while Complex systems must be navigated.

I have grown increasingly fond of etymology, although the interest is relatively recent. It began when I stumbled upon the origins of the word conversation, which opened up an entirely new way of seeing the practice. Since then, the roots of words like curiosity and faith have proved equally fascinating. It is often worth taking a moment to trace the history of terms that matter in our work, since their lineage offers a richer and more enjoyable sense of what they mean.