Unturns

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To reverse the position or arrangement of something that was previously turned; to expose or reveal what was hidden by turning over ; to undo or backtrack actions or decisions previously made by figuratively turning them around
2. To move an object from a turned state back to its original position; to uncover or uncover what was concealed by the act of turning; to retract or reverse previous changes or actions symbolized by turning
3. To change the orientation of an item by turning it back; to disclose what was once covered by flipping or turning; to cancel or withdraw earlier steps or decisions by metaphorically reversing their direction

Etymology: "Unturns" is the third-person singular present form of "unturn," a verb built from the prefix "un-" and the verb "turn." The prefix "un-" is an Old English element that, attached to a verb, reverses or undoes the action it precedes, so "unturn" means to turn something back the other way, undoing a previous turn. The verb's senses extend this literal idea. Turning an object back can reveal what was hidden beneath it, which is why the word can mean to uncover something once covered. The same reversing logic carries into the abstract sense of cancelling or withdrawing earlier steps or decisions, as though those actions were being run back in the opposite direction.

Synonyms: reverses, inverts, flips, rotates, backs

Antonyms: turns, faces, advances, proceeds, approaches