(rav′əl) v. ·eled or ·elled, ·el·ing or ·el·ling v.t.
1. To separate the threads or fibers of; unravel.
2. To make clear or plain; explain: often with out.
3. Archaic To tangle; confuse.
—v.i.
4. To become separated thread from thread or fiber from fiber; unravel; fray.
5. Archaic To become tangled or confused.
—noun
1. A broken or rejected thread.
2. A raveling. [? <MDu. ravelen tangle]
—rav′el·er or rav′el·ler noun

(rá·vel′), Maurice Joseph,
1875–1937, French composer.