unbar

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   to remove a bar or bolt from a door, gate, or other entrance

   The guard agreed to unbar the gate at sunrise.

2. 2
   verb

   figurative: to remove an obstacle or prohibition and allow access

   The ruling could unbar the path to a new election.

From Middle English unbarren, formed from the reversing prefix un- + bar. The literal removal of a door bar gave rise to the broader sense of removing an obstacle or prohibition.

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