From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Raveling \Rav"el*ing\ (r[a^]v"'l*[i^]ng), noun [Also ravelling.]
1. The act of untwisting or of disentangling.
2. That which is raveled out; esp., a thread detached from a texture.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Ravel \Rav"el\ (r[a^]v"'l), verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Raveled} (-'ld) or {Ravelled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Raveling} or {Ravelling}.] [OD. ravelen, D. rafelen, akin to LG. rebeln, rebbeln, reffeln.]
1. To separate or undo the texture of; to unravel; to take apart; to untwist; to unweave or unknit; -- often followed by out; as, to ravel a twist; to ravel out a stocking.
Sleep, that knits up the raveled sleave of care. --Shak.
2. To undo the intricacies of; to disentangle.
3. To pull apart, as the threads of a texture, and let them fall into a tangled mass; hence, to entangle; to make intricate; to involve.
What glory's due to him that could divide Such raveled interests? has the knot untied? --Waller.
The faith of very many men seems a duty so weak and indifferent, is so often untwisted by violence, or raveled and entangled in weak discourses! --Jer. Taylor.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
noun
1: a bit of fiber that has become separated from woven fabric [syn: {ravelling}]
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