untying

1 2.1

Making a knot or tie loose so you can open it

noun
/ʌnˈtaɪɪŋ/

: desatado

The hours I spent with it, tying knots by the score and the untying part used up even more.

And then I, I remember just practicing untying knots, practice breath holds.

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Examples

After securing the load, he began the process of untying the ropes that held it in place.
Then open that up, untying one knot after the next.
And then I, I remember just practicing untying knots, practice breath holds.

Shawn Ryan Show
He spent the afternoon in the garden, untying the tangled strings of lights.
The children enjoyed untying their shoelaces to see who could do it the fastest.

Synonyms

undoing

vsuntying

1 4.6

An action of loosening knots or ribbons that were tied

is specifically about loosening or removing knots and fastenings

unfastening

vsuntying

1 3.5

Loosening something that is tied or fixed

is specifically about loosening or removing knots and fastenings

unsnarling

vsuntying

8.1

Removing knots from something like a chain or hair

is about loosening or removing ties or knots rather than untangling snarls

Antonyms

tying

8 1.6

Using string or rope to hold things together

fastening

2 3.9

A thing that holds two parts together so they stay secure

How Loose

release

282 1.8

untying

1 2.1

loosening

4 3.4

tying

8 1.6

tightening

15 3.3

Surface Forms

untying singular

untyings plural

Morphology

untying = untie (transparent) = un + tie + ing

The gerund/nominalizing '-ing' attaches to the familiar verb 'untie', and the meaning is directly inferable from 'untie'.

Etymology

Untying starts with un- which means 'reverse' and the rest is tie, which means 'to fasten with a knot'. So untying simply means undoing or taking a knot apart, just like in undo.