unravel

Definition

To cause (something) to no longer be ravelled or tangled; to disentangle, to untangle.

Etymology

PIE word *h₂énti From un- (suffix denoting the inverse of the specified action) + ravel. cognates * Dutch ontrafelen (“to unravel”)

Example Sentences

• "Mother couldn’t unravel the ball of wool after the cat had played with it."
• "[S]he taking as the watchword of his true patience, vnraueld the bottome [i.e., ball of thread] of her frailtie at length, […]"
• "So by thine offspring may repose be found, / As thou unravelest (thus to him I pray) / The knot in which my intellect is bound."