Unpackage

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To remove items from their packaging; to extract data or code from a compressed or packaged format; to reveal or unpack the contents or ideas within something
2. To take objects out of their protective wrapping; to decode or decompress digital files originally compressed; to disclose or analyze the meaning hidden inside a concept or object
3. To open and clear away the outer coverings of goods; to unpack software or data from an archived container; to interpret or break down the components of a complex subject or message

Etymology: "Unpackage" is a plain formation: the reversing prefix "un-" attached to "package." English has long used "un-" to turn a verb into its opposite, so "unpack" undoes packing, and "unpackage" does the same job for "package," meaning to take a thing out of the wrapping or container it was shipped or stored in. The base word "package" came first and carries the older sense. It is itself a derivative of "pack," with the suffix "-age" added to form a noun for a bundled set of goods. Once "package" became a verb, "unpackage" followed naturally, and its extended senses developed later: taking data out of a compressed file, or laying bare the ideas inside an argument or a report. Because "unpackage" is built transparently from two familiar parts, its meaning is easy to read off its construction, and it has become common in computing and in business writing. Its history is simply the history of "package" and "un-" combined.

Synonyms: unwrap, unbox, unload, unpack

Antonyms: package, wrap, box, load