unwind

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English unwinden, also onwinden,^[2][3] inherited from Old English unwindan (“to unwind, unwrap”),^[2][4] a rare verb, also onwindan;^[5] the MED takes it partly from winden (“to wind”).^[2] The OED and Etymonline analyse it as un- and the verb wind,^[5][6] and compare Dutch ontwinden, Old Saxon antwindan, Old High German intwindan and German entwinden.^[5][6]

Earliest recorded meaning

To unfold a cloak or open a chest: before 1275, "Cofren & forcers wel sone heo vnwunden".^[2] The OED's first record, of undoing a wrapping, is from about 1325, in Lai le Freine, of a cloak.^[5][2] Old English unwindan meant to unwrap something wrapped up, such as a body.^[4]

Semantic evolution

The figurative sense, to unfold the complexities of something, is recorded from 1482 in Caxton;^[5] Etymonline dates it to the mid-15th century.^[6] From 1561 to 1701 one could unwind oneself from an entanglement or difficulty,^[5] a use Johnson (1755) illustrated from Hooker.^[7] The intransitive sense, to come uncoiled, dates from 1656.^[5] The modern colloquial sense, to relax after strain, is recorded from 1938, in Young Man with a Horn,^[5][6] and the transitive "to make someone relax" from 1958.^[5] In stock-market use, to unwind a position is to close it, often through several transactions (1958).^[5] In Australian slang of the early 20th century, to unwind someone was to cheat them.^[8]

Timeline

• before 1275 – to open or unfold (a cloak, a chest).^[2]
• c. 1325 – to undo a wrapping; to unwind thread.^[5]
• 1482 – figurative, to unfold or reveal.^[5]
• 1561 – reflexive, to extricate oneself (obsolete by 1701).^[5]
• 1656 – intransitive, to become uncoiled.^[5]
• 1912 – Australian slang, to cheat.^[8]
• 1938 – intransitive, to relax.^[5][6]
• 1958 – transitive, to make someone relax; to close a trading position.^[5]

Meanings

Verb

1. To undo something that has been wound, or to come undone; to uncoil or unroll: He unwound the rope from the post.^[9][10][5]
2. To free from a tangle; to disentangle.^[9][10]
3. To relax after tension or work, or to make someone relax: A swim in the evening helps her unwind.^[9][10][5]
4. (finance) To close a trading position, especially through several transactions.^[5]
5. (obsolete, 1561–1701) To extricate oneself from a difficulty.^[5][7]

Word family

• unwindable
• unwinder

Related words

• wind
• rewind

Usage notes

The OED has a separate rare verb unwind, to put someone out of breath, formed from un- and the noun wind, recorded from 1788.^[5]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
3. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
4. ^ a b Bosworth, Joseph; Toller, T. Northcote (1898), An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press; Toller, T. Northcote (1921), Supplement
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
7. ^ a b Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
8. ^ a b Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
9. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
10. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster