Unseals

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Breaks or removes a seal that closes something, such as an envelope or container
2. Takes off or opens a seal to allow access to what is enclosed
3. Disables or undoes a seal to expose or access the sealed contents

Etymology: This is a plain formation: the prefix "un-" added to the verb "seal," meaning to reverse a sealing. The verb "seal" itself came into English from Anglo-Norman "seel," which descends from Latin "sigillum," a diminutive of "signum," "sign" or "mark." So a seal was originally a small mark or token, and the Latin diminutive ending "-illum" points to something little, a sign in miniature. The "un-" prefix comes from Old English "on," which in compounds could reverse or undo an action, and it is an ancestor of the same prefix that appears in many common English verbs. "Unseal" therefore means to break or remove a seal, and it is used both literally, for opening a letter or a box, and figuratively, for revealing something that had been kept hidden.

Synonyms: opens, reveals, uncovers

Antonyms: seals, closes