From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Unravel \Un*rav"el\, v. t. [1st pref. un- (intensive) + ravel.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To disentangle; to disengage or separate the threads of;
as, to unravel a stocking.
[1913 Webster]
2. Hence, to clear from complication or difficulty; to
unfold; to solve; as, to unravel a plot.
[1913 Webster]
3. To separate the connected or united parts of; to throw
into disorder; to confuse. "Art shall be conjured for it,
and nature all unraveled." --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Unravel \Un*rav"el\, v. i.
To become unraveled, in any sense.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
unravel
v 1: become or cause to become undone by separating the fibers
or threads of; "unravel the thread" [syn: unravel,
unknot, unscramble, untangle, unpick] [ant: knot,
ravel, tangle]
2: disentangle; "can you unravel the mystery?" [syn: ravel,
unravel, ravel out] [ant: knot, ravel, tangle]
3: become undone; "the sweater unraveled" [syn: run,
unravel]