unwind

English

Etymology

From Middle English unwinden, from Old English unwindan (“to unwind; unwrap”), from Proto-Germanic *andawindaną (“to unwind”); equivalent to un- +‎ wind (“to coil”). Cognate with Dutch ontwinden (“to unwind”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʌnˈwaɪnd/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -aɪnd

Verb

unwind (third-person singular simple present unwinds, present participle unwinding, simple past and past participle unwound)

1. (transitive) To separate (something that is wound up)

   Synonyms: untwist, untwine

   to unwind a ball of yarn

   Could you unwind about a foot of ribbon so I can finish the package?

2. (transitive, obsolete) To disentangle
   • 1836, Richard Hooker, The Works of Richard Hooker, volume 4, page 27:

     […] but being not so skilful as in every point to unwind themselves where the snares of glossing speech do lie to entangle them, […]

3. (intransitive, colloquial) To relax; to chill out; to rest and become relieved of stress

   After work, I like to unwind by smoking a pipe while reading the paper.

4. (intransitive) To be or become unwound; to be capable of being unwound or untwisted.
5. (transitive, finance) To close out a position, especially a complicated position.
6. (transitive, finance) To undo something.
7. (transitive, programming) To analyse (a call stack) so as to generate a stack trace etc.
   • 2006, Hans-Wolfgang Loidl, Trends in Functional Programming, volume 5, page 62:

     If the expression is a throw, we unwind the stack seeking a handler expression.

8. (transitive, figurative) To unravel or explain.

Related terms

• wind

Translations

to wind off

• Bulgarian: развивам (bg) (razvivam), размотавам (bg) (razmotavam)
• Finnish: purkaa (fi)
• French: dérouler (fr), débobiner (fr)
• German: abwickeln (de), loswickeln, abspulen (de), abdocken (de) (textil.)
• Hungarian: legombolyít (hu)
• Manx: neuchass, neuhogher
• Portuguese: desenrolar (pt)
• Romanian: deșira (ro)
• Spanish: desenrollar (es)
• Swedish: nysta upp

to disentangle

• Finnish: avata (fi)
• French: démêler (fr)
• German: entwirren (de)
• Italian: slegare (it)
• Portuguese: desembaraçar (pt)
• Swedish: nysta i
• Turkish: çözmek (tr)

to relax

• Finnish: rentoutua (fi)
• French: décompresser (fr)
• Galician: esparexer
• German: abschalten (de) (figurative), sich entspannen
• Hungarian: ellazul (hu)
• Portuguese: espairecer (pt)
• Russian: расслабляться (ru) (rasslabljatʹsja)
• Spanish: relajarse (es)
• Swedish: varva ner, varva ned
• Turkish: gevşemek (tr), rahatlamak (tr)

to be or become unwound

• Bulgarian: развивам се (razvivam se)
• Finnish: purkautua (fi)
• French: se défaire (fr)
• German: sich abwickeln
• Manx: neuchass, neuhogher

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Dutch: ^{(please verify)} afwikkelen (nl)

Noun

unwind (plural unwinds)

1. Any mechanism or operation that unwinds something.
   • 1989, Ruth E. Goldenberg, Lawrence J. Kenah, VMS Internals and Data Structures: Version 5 Update:

     The NEWPC argument specifies the address to which control should be returned after the unwind is complete. If it is omitted, its default is for control to return to the PC saved in the call frame next outermost to the unwound ones.

   • 1998, Tappi Journal, volume 81, page 207:

     A primary function of the unwind is to provide a guided web into the slitter rewinder for accuracy in locating the web for slitting or to realign the edge of the web in a straight rewinding operation.