unwind

From Middle English unwinden, from Old English unwindan (“to unwind; unwrap”), from Proto-Germanic *andawindaną (“to unwind”); equivalent to un- +‎ wind (“to coil”). Cognate with Dutch ontwinden (“to unwind”).

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈwaɪnd/

  Rhymes: -aɪnd

unwind (third-person singular simple present unwinds, present participle unwinding, simple past and past participle unwound)

1. (transitive) To separate (something that is wound up)

   to unwind a ball of yarn

   Could you unwind about a foot of ribbon so I can finish the package?

   Synonyms: untwist, untwine

2. (transitive, obsolete) To disentangle
   • 1836, Richard Hooker, The Works of Richard Hooker, Volume 4, page 27:

     […] but being not so skilful as in every point to unwind themselves where the snares of glossing speech do lie to entangle them, […]

3. (intransitive, slang) To relax; to chill out; to rest and relieve of stress

   After work, I like to unwind by smoking a pipe while reading the paper.

4. (intransitive) To be or become unwound; to be capable of being unwound or untwisted.
5. (transitive, finance) To undo something.

• wind