Ravel — Defs

01 v. t. To separate or undo the texture of; to unravel; to take apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a t…

imp. & p. p. Raveled; p. pr. & vb. n. Raveling

1.
To separate or undo the texture of; to unravel; to take apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a twist; to ravel out a stocking.
“Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleave of care.” — Shak.
2.
To undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.
3.
To pull apart, as the threads of a texture, and let them fall into a tangled mass; hence, to entangle; to make intricate; to involve.
“What glory's due to him that could divide Such raveled interests? has the knot untied?” — Waller.

“The faith of very many men seems a duty so weak and indifferent, is so often untwisted by violence, or raveled and entangled in weak discourses!” — Jer. Taylor.

02 v. i. To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.

1.
To become untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.
2.
To fall into perplexity and confusion.[Obs.]
“Till, by their own perplexities involved, They ravel more, still less resolved.” — Milton.
3.
To make investigation or search, as by picking out the threads of a woven pattern.[Obs.]
“The humor of raveling into all these mystical or entangled matters.” — Sir W. Temple.