Unhoards

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To release or make available items that were previously stored away
2. the act of gradually freeing up resources that have been kept in reserve
3. removing accumulated possessions from storage to use or share them again

Etymology: "Unhoards" is the third-person singular present form of "unhoard," a verb meaning to take things out of a hoard and make them available again. The verb is formed from the prefix "un-" attached to "hoard," so it is a straightforward combination of two English elements rather than a word borrowed from another language. The base "hoard" is the older and more interesting part of the story. It came into English from Old English "hord," a word for a store or treasure hidden away, and it is closely tied to the idea of keeping valuables safe from others. Its sense of concealing wealth gives "unhoard" its implication of bringing something out of secrecy or storage into use. The prefix "un-" here works as a reversing element, as in "unbind" or "uncover," so "unhoard" describes the reversal of the act of hoarding. Because it is a transparent compound, its meaning follows directly from its parts.

Synonyms: disperses, spends, uses up

Antonyms: hoards, stores, accumulates