Untaut

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. To loosen or relax something previously stretched or tight
2. To reduce strain or tautness in an object or material
3. To make something less tense or tight by releasing pressure

Etymology: "Untaut" is a plain formation: the prefix "un-", meaning "not" or "reverse of", attached to "taut", the adjective meaning stretched tight. Together they describe something that has been loosened from that tension. The prefix "un-" is native English, descending from Old English, and it is one of the most productive ways of making new adjectives and verbs from existing ones. Because "taut" itself comes from Old English "togen", the past participle of "teon", meaning "to pull", the new word reverses a pulling action that has been there since the earliest English. Its meaning is transparent from its parts, so it needs no separate story of its own.

Synonyms: loose, slack

Antonyms: taut, tight