unloose
/ˌʌnˈlus/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.06 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To relax or slacken (something that clasps or grips, such as the arms or hands).
Transitive verb
verb
To free (someone or something) from a constraint; (figuratively) to release (something which has been suppressed, such as emotions or objectionable things).
Transitive verb
Example Sentences
- "Turne him to any Cauſe of Pollicy, / The Gordian Knot of it he will vnlooſe, / Familiar as his Garter: […]"
- "[S]uch ſmiling rogues as theſe, / Like Rats oft bite the holy cords a twaine, / Which are t' intrince, t' vnlooſe: […]"
- "[…] There commeth one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose ſhooes I am not worthy to ſtoupe downe, and vnlooſe."
- "Death opens the gate of fame, and ſhuts the gate of envy after it,—it unlooſes the chain of the captive, and puts the bondſman’s taſk into another man's hands."
- "I abide not the imposition of hands—take off your grasp from my cloak, or I will find means to make you unloose it."
- "Forgetting his disgust, Brice tore away the shirt and unloosed the belt. It was saturated with water like the rest of the clothing, but its pocket seemed heavy and distended. In another instant he had opened it, and discovered the envelope containing the packet of greenbacks, its seal still inviolate and unbroken. It was the stolen treasure!"
Etymology
From Middle English unlosen (“to loosen, untie; to uncover, unwrap; to extend; to free, liberate, release; to disengage; to detach oneself; to make (someone) weak; to abolish; to destroy”) [and other forms], from un- (intensifying prefix) + losen (“to free, let loose, release; to loosen, untie; to come undone or unfastened; to open; to relax; to remove; to melt; to resolve; to break up, disintegrate; to detach, disengage; to destroy; to say, tell; to absolve of sin”) (from los (“free; loose, untied; exempt; absolved of sin; inattentive, undisciplined; of the tongue: lacking restraint, unbridled; limp, weak; wavering”), from Old Norse lauss (“loose”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *lewH- (“to separate; to set free; to untie”)). The English word is analysable as un- (intensifying prefix) + loose. Compare Middle English unlesen (“to loosen, release”), from Old English onlīesan (“to release, deliver, liberate, unloose”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌʌnˈlus/
- British English: /(ˌ)ʌnˈluːs/
Usage
Inflected Forms
unlooses (present, singular)
unloosing (participle, present)
unloosed (participle, past)
unloosed (past)
no-table-tags (table tags)
glossary (inflection template)
unloosed (first person, past)
unloosest (archaic, present)
unloosed (past, second person)
unloosedst (archaic, past)
unlooseth (archaic, present)
unloosed (past, singular)