Definition

Noun 1. A single loose thread or fiber that has come undone from a woven fabric: This refers to a small, often frayed piece of yarn or thread that has become detached from the edge or surface of a textile.

Usage

The word "ravelling" (also spelled "raveling") is used specifically to describe a physical, separated thread from a piece of cloth. It is a concrete noun referring to the result of the fabric coming apart. * The old sweater was covered in ravellings. * She carefully snipped off the ravelling from the hem of her skirt.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in its plural form ("ravellings") to describe multiple loose threads.
• It can metaphorically describe something that is unraveling or coming apart in a non-literal sense, though this is less common.
  • The ravellings of the old treaty were evident in the new disputes. (Here, "ravellings" suggests the fraying or disintegration of the agreement.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ravel (verb): To become or cause to become tangled or untwisted; to fray or unravel.
  • The cord began to ravel at the end.
• Unravel (verb): To undo twisted, knitted, or woven threads; to solve or explain something complicated.
  • She tried to unravel the mystery.

Synonyms

• Fraying: A worn or unraveled area, or the process of becoming worn.
• Thread: A fine cord, but not specifically one that has come loose.
• Loose end: An unattached part; often used figuratively.

Antonyms

• Weave: The pattern or method of interlacing threads.
• Knit: To make a fabric by interlocking loops of yarn.

Notes

• "Ravelling" is the preferred spelling in British English, while "raveling" (with one 'l') is common in American English.
• Do not confuse the noun "a ravelling" (a loose thread) with the verb form "to ravel" (to become untwisted).

Noun

1. a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric