Unlock
/ʌnˈlɒk/noun
To open or free something by removing a lock, or to reveal access to something hidden.
Did you know?Unlike words such as "disaster" or "mortgage," unlock is a transparent English compound, but it still carries the old symbolic power of opening what was sealed away.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
unlocian
“to unfasten or open”
Old English
OE
loc
“a fastening, lock, or enclosure”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*lukaną
“to close, shut, or lock”
Middle English
ME
unloken
“to open, unfasten”
Modern English
English
unlock
“to open by removing a lock; to reveal or make accessible”