unfurl means to unroll or release something that had been rolled up, typically a sail or a flag. It carries an Arena rating of 1850, earned across 15 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unfurl ranks #92 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #474 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #838 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #1,770 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
unfurl is pronounced /ʌnˈfəːl/.
Why “unfurl” is a great word
To open or spread out something that has been rolled, coiled, or tightly furled. From the English prefix un- (expressing reversal) + furl ("to roll or fold up"), first attested in the 1640s. Unlike "unfold," which suggests opening along a pre-existing crease, or "deploy," which carries a strategic, martial weight, to unfurl is to release from a cylindrical bind into the open air. It is the crisp snap of a mainsail catching the wind, the slow, silent descent of a fern frond in spring, or the banner tumbling from its staff to reveal its colors—a quiet defiance of constraint, as if the very act of opening remembers the shape of becoming.
Etymology
From un- + furl.
verb
- To unroll or release something that had been rolled up, typically a sail or a flag.e.g.“They unfurled the flag at the start of the festival.”
- To roll out or debut anything.e.g.“When will we be unfurling the new feature?”
- To open up by unrolling.
- To turn out or unfold; to evolve; to progress.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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