Unpack
/ʌnˈpæk/noun
To remove the contents from a container or to unpack something figuratively, such as an idea or memory.
Did you know?“Pack” and “unpack” ultimately come from the same Germanic root as “pack,” “packet,” and “packhorse,” a family of words tied to bundling, binding, and carrying loads.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*pakkōną
“to pack, bundle, or stow together”
Old English
OE
pacian
“to pack or make into a bundle”
Middle English
ME
pakken
“to pack, put together, or load”
14th Century
English
unpakken
“to take out of a pack or bundle”
Modern English
English
unpack
“to remove contents from a container; to analyze or explain in detail”