Enodate

/ˈɛnədeɪt/ verb

Definition

To untie or loosen a knot; to disentangle or solve a difficult problem.

Etymology

From Latin 'enodare' (to unknot), combining 'e-' (out) + 'nodus' (knot), used in English from the 16th century onward.

Kelly Says

The word 'enodate' reveals how Renaissance thinkers loved metaphors—they used physical knots as metaphors for logic problems and mysteries, so 'enodating' an argument meant literally 'unknotting' its confusion.

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