[rav.el] vb -eled or -elled ; -el.ing or -el.ling [D rafelen, fr. rafel loose thread] vt (1582) 1 a: to separate or undo the texture of: unravel b: to undo the intricacies of: disentangle
2: entangle, confuse ~ vi 1 obs: to become entangled or confused
2: to become unwoven, untwisted, or unwound: fray
3: break up, crumble -- rav.el.er n -- rav.el.ment n
[2]ravel n (1634): an act or result of raveling: as a: something tangled b: something raveled out; specif: a loose thread