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Webster's Dictionary (1865)

2 entries under this word

Ravel

Răv'el, v. t.

verbtransitive

(rāv'l), v. t. [imp. & p. p. RAVELED, or RAVELLED; p. pr. & vb. n. RAVELING, or RAVELLING.] [O. D. ravelen, N. D. rafelen, L. Ger. rebelen, rebeln, refeln; O. Up. Ger. reff'en, to pluck.] 1. To separate or undo the texture of; to take apart; to untwist; to unsew or unknit; as, to ravel out a twist; to ravel out a stocking. Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleeve of care. Shak.

  1. Hence, to undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.
  2. To pull apart, as a texture, so that the threads 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 many men seems a duty so weak and indifferent, is so often untwisted by violence, or raveled and entangled in weak discourses! Bp. Taylor. 4. To hurry or run over in confusion. [Obs.]

Rā'v'el, v. i.

verbintransitive

(rāv'l), v. i. 1. To be separated in texture; to be untwisted or unwoven; to be disentangled; to be relieved of intricacy.

Sense 2. To fall into perplexity and confusion. [Obs.]

Till, by their own perplexities involved, They ravel more, still less resolved. Milton.

Sense 3. To work in perplexities; to busy one's self with intricacies; to enter by winding and turning. [Obs.]

The humor of raveling into all these mystical or entangled matters . . . produced infinite disputes. Sir W. Temple.