Unbind

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ʌnˈbaɪnd/

Definitions

1. To free from a tied or fastened state, removing any constraints or holds
2. To undo the securing or fastening that holds something together, allowing it to come apart
3. To loosen or remove bindings that restrict movement or attachment

Etymology: The verb "unbind" is a plain, transparent formation: the prefix "un-" added to "bind", reversing its sense. Its deeper roots run back to Proto-Germanic ""andabindaną", where the prefix ""anda-" meant "back" or "against" and gave the sense of undoing a tie. That older form also appears in Gothic as "andbindan", showing how far back the verb reaches among the Germanic languages. English inherited the word through Old English, where "unbindan" and "onbindan" both meant "to untie". The Old English pair shows that the prefix could be spelled either way, and the forms eventually settled into the Middle English "unbinden", which the modern word descends from. Cognates survive in Dutch "ontbinden" and German "entbinden", which likewise carry the sense of releasing or loosening something that was fastened.

Synonyms: release, loosen, unfasten, detach, remove

Antonyms: bind, fasten, attach, secure