Unfolding

How to spell unfolding

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce unfolding

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unfolding mean?

1. verbIn the process of opening out, or of gradually becoming revealed or developing.
2. nounThe gradual process by which something opens out or is revealed over time.

Unfolding in a sentence

• verb

  Reporters stood outside the courthouse, watching the scandal unfolding in real time.

• noun

  The documentary traces the slow unfolding of the investigation over a decade.

• verb

  The slowly unfolding map covered the entire kitchen table.

• noun

  Her memoir captures the quiet unfolding of a family secret.

Where does unfolding come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word is built from the native English verb 'unfold', which traces back to Old English 'unfealdan', combining the reversing prefix 'un-' with 'fealdan', meaning 'to fold' or 'to bend something over on itself'. The 'un-' here signals undoing, so to unfold is literally to open out what had been folded shut, as with a map or a piece of cloth. The figurative sense, of events or stories gradually revealing themselves, grew naturally from that image of something opening to view, and was well established by the 1500s. The '-ing' ending turns the verb into the present participle and gerund 'unfolding', used both for the ongoing action and as a noun for the gradual revealing itself. Because every part of the word is plain Germanic and spelled phonetically, the spelling holds few surprises beyond remembering the single 'l' and the silent agreement of un + fold.

How the word is built

• un- (reverse, undo)
• fold (root: to bend over on itself)
• -ing (present participle/gerund)