Unanchors

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Detaches something that was fixed in place by an anchor, freeing it from its mooring or fastening
2. Releases the hold that keeps an object, vessel or structure fastened to a fixed point
3. Loosens or frees something from the anchorage that had kept it secured in position

Etymology: "Unanchors" is the third-person singular present form of "unanchor", which means to free a ship or object from its anchor, or to loosen something held fast by an anchor. The verb is built from the prefix "un-", meaning "reverse" or "undo", attached to "anchor". The base word has a long pedigree: it traces back through Old English "ancor" and Latin "ancora" to ancient Greek "ankyra" (ἄγκυρα), probably from a pre-Greek source, and it reached Germanic languages early, shown by Proto-Germanic "ankurō". Since "anchor" is the older and far more familiar word, "unanchor" is essentially a transparent formation: English speakers added "un-" to a noun that already named the heavy hook dropped to hold a vessel in place, and the verb simply reverses that action. The suffix "-s" on "unanchors" marks the present tense for a singular subject, as in "the ship unanchors at dawn."

Synonyms: unmoors, detaches, releases, looses

Antonyms: anchors, moors, secures