Ravel
/ˈræv.əl/noun
To untangle or disentangle; also, to become tangled or confused.
Did you know?For a long time, English used ravel in both directions—sometimes meaning to tangle, sometimes to untangle—before the “unravel” sense became dominant in modern usage.
Etymological Timeline
14th Century
Middle English
ravelen
“To entangle, fray, or become tangled; later also to disentangle thread or cloth.”
Middle Dutch
Middle Dutch
ravelen
“To tangle, fray, or unravel loose threads.”
Old French
Old French
ravaler
“To pull down, lower, or drag back; later associated with fraying or loosening in English borrowing history.”
Modern English
English
ravel
“To disentangle or become tangled; to fray or come apart.”