unreeve

[ uhn-reev ]

/ ʌnˈriv /

Nautical. to withdraw (a rope) from a block, thimble, etc.

to unreeve a rope.

(of a rope) to become unreeved.

Origin of unreeve

First recorded in 1590–1600; un-² + reeve²

I was busy in helping to unreeve the stay, when I was seized with sudden and violent cramps.

Ned Myers |James Fenimore Cooper
Unreeve the halyards, or round them up to the block at the mast-head with a knot in their end.

The Seaman's Friend |Richard Henry Dana
To pass the end of a rope through any cavity or aperture, as the channel of a block; to unreeve is the opposite.

The Sailor's Word-Book |William Henry Smyth
Be careful to unreeve the clewlines through the quarter-blocks.

The Seaman's Friend |Richard Henry Dana

We had first to unreeve all the ropes, and unbend all the sails.

Peter Trawl |W. H. G. Kingston

unreeve

/ (ʌnˈriːv) /

nautical to withdraw (a rope) from a block, thimble, etc

C17: from un- ² + reeve ²