Unclump

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To break up or separate a clumped mass into its individual components or scattered particles
2. To cause clumped material to loosen and disperse into separate units or distinct elements
3. To break apart a dense cluster or lump so that its constituent pieces come apart from each other

Etymology: "Unclump" is a plain formation: the prefix un- added to "clump," meaning to break apart clumped things. The un- here is the reversing prefix, as in "untie" or "unravel," so the verb undoes the action of clumping rather than meaning anything unusual in itself. The base word "clump" is the one with the more interesting trail. It has been used in English for a lump or cluster of things, such as a clump of trees or a clump of earth, and the same sense of a dense, compact mass runs through its use as a verb meaning to gather into such a mass. "Unclump" carries that idea in reverse, so it is most often applied to soil, hair, or other materials that have stuck together and need separating.

Synonyms: disperse, break up

Antonyms: clump, cluster