unroll

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ʌnˈroʊl/ UK /ʌnˈrəʊl/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to open out something that is rolled up

She unrolled the map across the table.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to open out something that... unfurl unwind unfold spread open uncoil

Opposites

roll coil furl wind

Word family

Derived forms unrolledunrolling

Related forms roll

Etymology

From un- ('reversal') + roll, from Old French roller, from Vulgar Latin *rotulare, from Latin rotula ('small wheel'), diminutive of rota ('wheel').

un- Old English rota Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# unroll

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ʌnˈroʊl/
**IPA (UK):** /ʌnˈrəʊl/

## Meanings
1. to open out something that is rolled up

## Examples
- She unrolled the map across the table.

## Synonyms
- unfurl
- unwind
- unfold
- spread
- open
- uncoil

## Antonyms
- roll
- coil
- furl
- wind

## Derived Forms
- unrolled
- unrolling

## Related Forms
- roll

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: un-
- Root: rota

## Etymology
From un- ('reversal') + roll, from Old French roller, from Vulgar Latin *rotulare, from Latin rotula ('small wheel'), diminutive of rota ('wheel').

## AI Etymology
Unroll comes from un- ('reversal') + roll, from Old French roller, from Vulgar Latin *rotulare, from Latin rotula ('small wheel'), diminutive of rota ('wheel'). In current use it is a verb meaning "to open out something that is rolled up". That sense is explained by the older material without requiring a speculative semantic step: the inherited or borrowed base supplies the field of meaning, while the English formation fixes its modern role. The prefix un- is reversative here, marking an undoing or release rather than mere negation. The surface form is compositional: its joined elements remain visible in the modern word. A diminutive element is part of the history, marking a smaller or derived form. The historical chain includes Old English un- and Latin rota. Related English forms include roll. Derived forms include unrolled and unrolling. As a result, the modern word is best read as a negative, privative, or reversative formation built on a historically older base.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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