Retwist

Part of speech: verb, noun

Definitions

1. Turning or coiling something once more, so that it takes a new shape or direction after having already been bent around
2. Winding a thing round again in the opposite or a fresh manner, altering its form by applying a second round of torsion
3. Giving a second turn to an object that has already been wound or bent, changing how it lies or how it is arranged

Etymology: "Retwist" is about as plain as etymologies get: it is the prefix "re-", meaning "again" or "back", attached to "twist," which goes back to Old English "twist" (a rope or thread) and is related to the verb "twist." Put together, the word means to twist again, or to twist back the other way. The usefulness of the word lies in that combination. Where "twist" describes a single turning motion, "retwist" describes a second turn, often one that reverses or undoes the first, as when a loosened cap or a tangled cord is wound back into shape. Because "re-" is productive in English, speakers can form such words almost at will, which is why "retwist" feels obvious even though it is rarely found in older dictionaries.

Antonyms: untwist