Added 9 October 2026
ravel
/ˈɹævəl/ noun
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ravel at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- French composer and exponent of Impressionism (1875-1937).
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A row of unravelled stitches.
she got a run in her stocking
verb
-
Disentangle.
can you unravel the mystery?
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Tangle or complicate.
a ravelled story
Origin
The verb is borrowed from Dutch ravelen, rafelen (“to tangle, become entangled; to fray; to unweave”) [and other forms]; further etymology uncertain. It has been suggested that the verb is originally derived from the noun, but the Oxford English Dictionary regards this as “very uncertain”, and instead regards the noun as having derived from the verb (compare Dutch rafel, raffel (“frayed thread”)). Ravel is a contranym having both the senses of tangling (verb senses 1.1, 1.2, 1.4.1, and 2.3; noun sense 1) and untangling (verb senses 1.3, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 2.1, and 2.2; noun sense 2).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)