ravel

¹

[ rav-uhl ]

verb (used with object)

, rav·eled, rav·el·ing or (especially British) rav·elled, rav·el·ling.

1. to disentangle or unravel the threads or fibers of (a woven or knitted fabric, rope, etc.).
2. to tangle or entangle.
3. to involve; confuse; perplex.
4. to make clear; unravel (often followed by out ).

verb (used without object)

, rav·eled, rav·el·ing or (especially British) rav·elled, rav·el·ling.

1. to become disjoined thread by thread or fiber by fiber; fray.
2. to become tangled.
3. to become confused or perplexed.
4. (of a road surface) to lose aggregate.

noun

1. a tangle or complication.

Ravel

²

[ ruh-vel; French ra-vel ]

noun

1. Mau·rice Jo·seph [moh-, rees, zhaw-, zef], 1875–1937, French composer.

ravel

¹

/ ˈrævəl /

verb

1. to tangle (threads, fibres, etc) or (of threads, fibres, etc) to become entangled
2. often foll by out to tease or draw out (the fibres of a fabric or garment) or (of a garment or fabric) to fray out in loose ends; unravel
3. trusually foll byout to disentangle or resolve

   to ravel out a complicated story

4. to break up (a road surface) in patches or (of a road surface) to begin to break up; fret; scab
5. archaic.
   to make or become confused or complicated

noun

1. a tangle or complication

Ravel

²

/ ravɛl /

noun

1. RavelMaurice (Joseph)18751937MFrenchMUSIC: composer Maurice ( Joseph ) (mɔris). 1875–1937, French composer, noted for his use of unresolved dissonances and mastery of tone colour. His works include Gaspard de la Nuit (1908) and Le Tombeau de Couperin (1917) for piano, Boléro (1928) for orchestra, and the ballet Daphnis et Chloé (1912)

Derived Forms

• ˈraveller, noun
• ˈravelly, adjective

Other Words From

• ravel·er especially British, ravel·ler noun
• ravel·ly adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ravel¹

First recorded in 1575–85, ravel is from the Dutch word rafelen

Word History and Origins

Origin of ravel¹

C16: from Middle Dutch ravelen

Example Sentences

“Hence, ravel; a tool that does the fiddly nesting together of details and summary tags for you.”

From The Verge

So somehow, Grace, Sacha and Robert end up accompanying Art and Charlotte to Norfolk, and all of their stories unravel and ravel at once.

From Washington Post

Her hair was black yarn that had been knit and raveled, so that it was curly.

From Literature

But now, even though the cold already bit in the mornings, she wore only her one earth-colored dress with the raveled hem.

From Literature

And I’d like there to be, within those three attempts, a story that ravels and unravels and is a piece of Nadia’s heart, something vital to her.

From The New Yorker