RAVELING
raveling, ravelling
(noun) a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Verb
raveling
present participle of ravel
Noun
raveling (plural ravelings)
Alternative form of ravelling
Anagrams
• gravelin
Source: Wiktionary
Rav"el*ing, n. Etym: [Also ravelling.]
1. The act of untwisting, or of disentangling.
2. That which is raveled out; esp., a thread detached from a texture.
RAVEL
Rav"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Raveled or Ravelled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Raveling or Ravelling.] Etym: [. ravelen, D. rafelen, akin to LG.
rebeln, rebbeln, reffeln.]
1. To separate or undo the texture of; to take apart; to untwist; to
unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a twist; to
ravel out a sticking.
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
he not 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.
Rav"el, v. i.
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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition