Why “disentangle” is a great word
To free something from entanglement or a complicated state; to separate things that are twisted together or intricately connected. From the prefix dis- (expressing reversal) + entangle (to twist together), first recorded in 1590–1600. Unlike 'untangle,' which often denotes the simpler, more physical act of loosening knots in rope or hair, or 'extricate,' which suggests rescue from a trap or constraint, to disentangle is the patient, forensic labor of separation. It is the meticulous tracing of a single thread through a tapestry's weave, the careful parsing of conflicting loyalties in a whispered confession, or the quiet withdrawal of one life from another after years of shared habit—the patient archaeology of distinguishing what was once hopelessly fused.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).