Etymologically
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unleash

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Pronunciation

Etymology

It is formed from English un- + leash,[2][3][4][5] with the prefix in its sense of reversing an action, attached to the verb leash, to tie with a leash, which is recorded from the 1590s.[3][2] The noun leash, a thong for holding a dog, is recorded from about 1300 and is from Old French lesse or laisse (“hound's leash”),[3][6][7][2] which Hoad and Barnhart take from laissier (“to let go, loosen”), from the slack lead on which a dog was let run,[6][7] from Latin laxō (“to loosen”), from laxus (“loose”), the source of lax.[7][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In hunting, to free a dog from its leash, especially so that it can chase or attack: 1671, in E. Phillips's New World of Words,[2][3] about 1671 according to Merriam-Webster.[4] Dictionary.com dates it to 1665–75.[5]

Semantic evolution

The figurative use was present from the beginning.[2] From 1822, in Shelley's Hellas, the verb was used for letting loose a powerful or violent force, or giving free rein to an emotion.[2] This broad sense, freeing something from restraint or control, is now the main one.[8][4]

Timeline

  • c. 1300 – the noun leash.[3]
  • 1590s – the verb leash.[3]
  • 1671 – to free a hound from its leash.[2][3]
  • 1822 – to let loose a powerful force or an emotion.[2]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To release a dog or other animal from a leash.[8][4][2]
  2. To let loose a powerful or destructive force; to free from restraint or control: The dam failure unleashed a flood on the valley.[8][4][2]
  3. To give free rein to an emotion or effort: He unleashed his frustration on the referee.[2][8]

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  7. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ a b c d Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins