Undecks

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Removing decorations or items from a space to restore it to a simpler state
2. taking down festive or ornamental elements that have been added for a special occasion
3. disassembling or clearing away accessories or embellishments from a setting

Etymology: "Undecks" is the third-person singular present form of "undeck," which means to strip away decorations. The verb is built from the prefix "un-," which reverses an action, attached to "deck," meaning to adorn or dress up. "Deck" in this sense is an older English word for decorating or ornamenting something, and it is a separate root from the "deck" that means the floor of a ship. The prefix does the work here: "undeck" is simply the reverse of "deck" in its ornamental sense, so it describes taking off the finery rather than putting it on. Because the word is a plain combination of two English elements, its history is short and transparent.

Synonyms: strips, removes