ravelling
Học thuậtThân thiện
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
- a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric