extricate means to free, disengage, loosen, or untangle. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.
Why this word is great
EXTRICATE — [Verb] To free or remove someone or something from a constraint, entanglement, or difficult situation. From Latin extricatus, past participle of extricare, combining ex- ("out of") and tricae ("perplexities, hindrances, trifles"). Unlike "extract," which suggests a forceful removal from a source, or "disentangle," which implies a meticulous separation of intertwined threads, "extricate" denotes the strategic liberation from a complex and often perilous predicament. It is the careful withdrawal of a foot from a hidden bog, the measured negotiation of a hostage's release, or the precise, patient work of unwinding a line snarled deep in thorns—a precarious freedom, hard-won and leaving traces of the bind behind.
verb
- To free, disengage, loosen, or untangle.“I finally managed to extricate myself from the tight jacket.”
- To free from intricacies or perplexity.“Your argumentation ... is invelloped with certain intricacies, that are not easie to be extricated.”