Unravels

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To undo or separate threads that have been twisted, tangled, or knitted together ; to clarify or find the solution to a confusing or complex issue
2. To loosen or pull apart woven or knitted material causing it to come undone ; to discover the answer or explanation behind something puzzling
3. To cause fabric or thread to come apart by pulling it out ; to decipher or reveal the underlying truth or details of a difficult situation

Etymology: "Unravels" is the third-person singular form of "unravel," so its history is the history of the verb itself. "Unravel" was formed in English by adding the reversing prefix "un-" to "ravel," a word that entered English in the 14th century, probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German "ravelen," meaning to tangle or to entangle threads. The prefix "un-" was then used to mean the opposite action: to disentangle what had been tangled. The earliest sense was literal. To unravel was to separate the threads of a woven or knitted fabric, which is still the core of the word's meaning. The figurative sense, to untangle a mystery or work out a puzzle, developed from this image of picking apart something knotted until its hidden structure shows.

Synonyms: untangles, disentangles, deciphers, resolves, clarifies

Antonyms: tangles, complicates, confuses