Толковый словарь английского языка Oxford English Reference - ravel

v. & n. --v. (ravelled, ravelling; US raveled, raveling) 1 tr. & intr. entangle or become entangled or knotted. 2 tr. confuse or complicate (a question or problem). 3 intr. fray out. 4 tr. (often foll. by out) disentangle, unravel, distinguish the separate threads or subdivisions of. --n. 1 a tangle or knot. 2 a complication. 3 a frayed or loose end. Etymology: prob. f. Du. ravelen tangle, fray out, unweave